Association between Psychological Discomfort and Age, Sex, Work, Study, Zone of Residence in Uruguayan Young People

In Uruguay, psychological distress is associated with a higher probability of developing highly prevalent psychopathological conditions such as addictions or suicide. It is important, therefore, to analyze factors associated with such distress. This work analyzes, via a survey applied to 1527 Uruguayans between 18 and 30 years old, variables associated with psychological distress. We applied the Kessler psychological distress scale and determined that sex and age were significant predictors, at the bivariate and multivariate level, of psychological distress. The size of these effects was, however, small. Women and youngsters express higher levels of distress than men and older people, respectively. Psychological distress was not significantly associated with the number of hours dedicated to work or study; educational level; or the region of the country in which one resides. This work provides knowledge about the normal -reference-levels of psychological distress in young Uruguayans and factors associated with these levels, which can result in a powerful and useful tool for planning mental health policies for this population.