Understanding mental health of students and teachers within universities: A cross-sectional, multicultural analysis across three European countries

Knowing the state of mood of the university community is becoming a necessity to assess whether it is necessary to apply solutions to the mental health problems emerging after the state of health alarm experienced by covid-19. At present, there are no known studies comparing mood states between students and teachers within the academic organizational setting, nor between different European countries. But mental health is a critical issue at universities due to the overwhelming transition, intense competition, stigma, and high prevalence of mental health disorders among students. The combination of academic pressure, social challenges, and reluctance to seek help creates a pressing need for support and resources to address mental health concerns and promote student well-being. In light of this, this study focused on analyzing the relationship between individuals' role, geographical location, and their emotional health, using the EVEA scale to assess sadness-depression, anxiety, anger-hostility, and happiness in a sample of students and teachers. The results revealed significant findings between different members of the same community and between different European countries. Our findings serve as a potential starting point to derive recommendations to improve the mental health of university communities.