COVID-19 Fear, Resilience, Social Support, Anxiety, and Suicide among College Students in Spain

Abstract

Worldwide, previous studies have expressed concerns regarding the broad psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic among college students as they are considered an especially vulnerable group. However, few studies have examined the prevalence of, risk of, and protective factors associated with fear of COVID-19 among college students in Europe. We have sought to address gaps in the literature by conducting a cross-sectional survey among 517 college students (79.1% women and 20.9% men) from a public university in the southeast of Spain. Participants were asked to complete the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) questionnaire and answer questions related to resilience, social support, anxiety, and suicide risk levels using validated scales. The results of the analysis of the variables associated with fear of COVID-19 suggest that, in addition to gender, the factor of anxiety shows a robust positive association and effect with COVID-19 fear (p < 0.001). According to our results, university institutions must adopt support mechanisms to alleviate psychological impacts on students during this pandemic, treating it similarly to other disasters. Implications for social work to reduce COVID-19 fear are also discussed.

Fear of COVID-19 Among College Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Moreover, the mean scores by item were reported in Fawzy El-Bardan's study ( 46 ), but the total score was not shown. The quality assessment of included studies revealed that eight studies had moderate quality ( 13 , 21 , 22 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 42 – 45 ), and other studies had high quality ( 23 , 35 , 38 , 41 ).…”

“…As shown in Table 1, we included 16 studies with a sample size of 11,872 (4,733 men, 6,911 women, and 228 genders not mentioned). Among the included studies, 6 studies were from Asia (13,21,(34)(35)(36)(37), 6 from Europe (22,23,(38)(39)(40)(41), 2 from America (42,43), and 2 from multiple continents (44,45). All studies reported the total score of FCV-19S, 4 studies reported the corresponding score by gender (21,37,40,41), and 5 studies reported the mean scores by item of FCV-19S (13,(36)(37)(38)42).…”

“…Among the included studies, 6 studies were from Asia (13,21,(34)(35)(36)(37), 6 from Europe (22,23,(38)(39)(40)(41), 2 from America (42,43), and 2 from multiple continents (44,45). All studies reported the total score of FCV-19S, 4 studies reported the corresponding score by gender (21,37,40,41), and 5 studies reported the mean scores by item of FCV-19S (13,(36)(37)(38)42). Moreover, the mean scores by item were reported in Fawzy El-Bardan's study (46), but the total score was not shown.…”

The Mediating Role of Orthorexia in the Relationship between Physical Activity and Fear of COVID-19 among University Students in Poland

“…A systematic review and meta-analysis [2] found that the pooled prevalence of anxiety equals 33%, while for depression it is 28% in the public, with such risk factors as female gender, nurses, lower socioeconomic status, high risks of contracting COVID-19, and social isolation. Muyor-Rodríguez et al [3] suggested that college students are considered an especially vulnerable group for mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, a nationwide study indicates that at least one mental health problem (including high stress, anxiety, or depression) was found in 45% of Chinese college students [4] and 42.8% of university students from France [5].…”

Short report: COVID-19-related anxiety is associated with mental health problems among adults with rare disorders

“…The situation brings considerable unpredictability, which is known to negatively affect mental health ( Barnett et al, 2012 ). COVID-19 anxiety is associated with more general anxiety and psychological stress in the general population ( Duong, 2021 ; Muyor-Rodríguez, Caravaca-Sánchez, & Fernández-Prados, 2021 ). It is important to examine these associations also for persons with rare disorders, as providing such documentation is crucial to organize an appropriate response and to prioritize actions of healthcare providers in the coming years to minimize the COVID-19 impact on persons with rare disorders.…”