COnVida-20(1)

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have addressed the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the general population. Nevertheless, far less is known about the impact in specific populations such as university students, whose psychological vulnerability has been shown in previous research. This study sought to examine different indicators of mental health in university students during the Spanish lockdown; we also analyzed the main sources of stress perceived by students in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and the coping strategies adopted when faced with the situation. Data was collected from 932 students (704 women) through a web-based platform. Measures of anxiety (i.e., GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), irritability and self-perceived change in mental health were administered, as well as ad hoc measures of stressors and coping strategies. Results indicated that students experienced considerable psychological problems during the confinement, with higher rates of emotional difficulties in women and undergraduate students than in men and postgraduates, respectively. Psychological distress was mainly related to several specific domains of stressors, as perceived by the participants: academic future, task overload, worsening of interpersonal conflicts, and restrictions in pleasant social contact; and far less related to the spread of the disease and its consequences for physical health. As regards coping strategies, both reframing skills and daily routines were shown to be the most effective. A path-analysis model integrating stressors, coping, and mental health revealed that coping strategies partially channeled the effect of stressors on psychological health. In general, results suggest that students’ psychological health was substantially affected by the COVID-19 situation and that the academic and relational changes were the most notable sources of stress. This study reinforces the need to monitor and promote mental health in university students to boost resilience in times of crisis. Our results on effective coping strategies may inform preventive programs aimed at helping students to deal with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Extraction of bioactive compounds from Peruvian purple corn cob (Zea Mays L.) by dynamic high pressure

“…All the processes presented values for h° within the range from 270.18° to 292.09°, values higher than those obtained using non-pressurized and CE processes. Considering the cylindrical chromatic space CIE-L* C* hº system proposed by Padrón et al (2012) as the reference, the hue angles correspond to a blue-violet color. In vitro study of the antioxidant activities of the purple corn cob extracts obtained by DHP The methodologies used revealed that the AA values of the purple corn cob extracts obtained by DHP were significantly higher than the values in the extracts obtained by CE, results which are consistent considering that the extracts obtained using highpressure presented higher TPC contents (Jurić et al, 2019).…”