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Introduction. To reduce the important gap between mental health needs and low treatment utilization among college students, it is important to identify treatment barriers and preferences. Objective. To understand university students' perceptions of barriers and preferences for in-person and online mental health services on campus, in the community and through internet. Material and Methods. This is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study of 17 students from the PUERTAS project in two Mexican universities, one private, one public. Students were interviewed in depth and the narratives were analyzed by categorization of meanings. Results. In-person treatment was identified as a preference, in addition to highlighting the scarce promotion of mental health services in the university and community context, and little knowledge of online interventions. Conclusions. There is a need for greater dissemination of available in-person and online mental health treatment services in the university context as well as strategies to address barriers to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To estimate psychopathology and self-harm behavior of incoming first-year college students, sociodemographic correlates, service use and willingness to seek treatment. Materials and methods. 4 189 male and female incoming first-year students of six universities in four different states of Mexico responded to an online survey with a 79.3% response rate. Results. Almost one in three incoming students has experienced some type of psychopathology; however, only one in five has received treatment. Female, students who are older, whose parents are not married or deceased, and who have a non-heterosexual orientation, no religion or a non-Catholic/Christian religion have greater odds (1.18 - 1.99), whereas those who attend a private university and have a parent with some college education have lower odds (0.68 - 0.75) of experiencing any probable disorder. Conclusions. Substantial unmet need for mental health services combined with reported willingness to use university services suggests an opportunity for the detection, referral, and treatment of incoming students to promote a successful transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]