Application of the Centrality Index from Evocations (INCEV) in Research on Social Representations of Mental Health with Higher Education Students

From a structural perspective, the study analyzed the content and structure of social representations of mental health among higher education students using the Index of Centrality of Evocations (INCEV). This index allows for the identification and confirmation of the centrality of representative elements in a single data collection stage, which constitutes a methodological advantage. A total of 483 students from public higher education institutions in southeastern Brazil participated, the majority of whom were cisgender women (76.4%), young adults (89%), enrolled in health-related programs (41.2%), and in their first years of study (61.7%). Data collection was conducted via an online questionnaire, consisting of sociodemographic questions, an open-ended evocation question on “mental health,” and questions regarding the importance and unconditional nature of each evocation response. Sociodemographic data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, while the evocations were subjected to prototypical analysis using IRaMuTeQ software and the calculation of the INCEV. The prototypical analysis identified anxiety, therapy, depression, balance, need, peace, rest, and importance as core hypotheses. The INCEV, for its part, confirmed the centrality of the elements anxiety and therapy, proving to be an effective confirmatory technique. These data, which corroborate the results of other studies, indicate that, for college students, mental health is associated with a state of emotional fragility, expressed by the term “anxiety,” requiring care (therapy). This highlights the need for higher education institutions to promote healthy and positive academic experiences.