ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicWell-being and Cognitive Science in Higher Education: Measures and InterventionView all 12 articles
Beyond Words: Understanding Anxiety and Depression in College Applicants through LIWC Analysis of Textual Features
Provisionally accepted
Ana Abutara1
Aline Kissimoto1
Felipe Oliveira de Aguiar1,2
Victor Otani1,2
RICARDO RIYOITI UCHIDA1,2
Lucas Murrins Marques1,2*- 1Mental Health Department, Santa Casa de Sao Paulo School of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil, São Paulo, Brazil
- 2Artificial Intelligence Research Division, Infinity Doctor's Inc., DE, United States., Dover, Brazil
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ABSTRACT Background: Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent among pre-university students, often intensified by the academic stress associated with entrance exams. Linguistic analysis of written texts offers a promising, non-invasive approach for early detection and prevention. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Objectives: To examine the association between linguistic features in essays and levels of anxiety and depression, identifying specific language patterns linked to these conditions. Setting: Pre-university preparatory courses in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2023. Methods: Participants were 62 pre-university students (51 females, 11 males; M = 20.3 years, SD = 2.65) who completed a self-report form shared via WhatsApp or in-person at preparatory schools. The form included sociodemographic questions, the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales, and the upload of an argumentative essay written within the previous month as part of their regular coursework. Essays were analyzed using LIWC software, and multivariate regression models identified linguistic features associated with anxiety and depression scores. Results: Higher anxiety levels correlated with increased use of words related to affiliation and home, and decreased use of leisure and money-related terms. Depression was associated with higher frequency of drives and number-related words, and fewer motion-related terms. Conclusions: Linguistic analysis can assist in identifying emotional distress among pre-university students, offering a potential tool for early screening and intervention in educational and mental health contexts.
Keywords: exam, Essay, LIWC, Depression, Anxiety, multivariate analysis
Received: 22 Aug 2025; Accepted: 11 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Abutara, Kissimoto, Aguiar, Otani, UCHIDA and Marques. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lucas Murrins Marques, lucasmurrins@gmail.com
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