Indicators of emotional distress and mindfulness in undergraduate students: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: to assess the association between indicators of emotional distress and dispositional mindfulness in health students at a Brazilian federal public university.
Methods: a cross-sectional study, developed with university students in the health area of a public institution from May to June 2022. In the analysis, multiple linear regression was used using SPSS software.
Results: the sample was mostly female, ≤ 22 years old, non-white, studying the first semesters, with a higher prevalence for the medicine course. Students presented moderate dispositional mindfulness scores. It was observed that the variables of stress, depression and current suicide risk were associated with the capacity for mindfulness.
Conclusions: knowing the indicators of emotional distress that are related to the potential of mindfulness can contribute as a situational diagnosis to better design strategies that promote the improvement of emotional indicators of health students.