Evaluation of the Emotional and Cognitive Regulation of Young People in a Lockdown Situation Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: In a situation of compulsory home isolation enacted by governments at the spreading of the Covid-19 pandemic, the emotional health and well-being of students became a key factor in the successful implementation of distance teaching methodologies in face-to-face education universities. Psychological well-being, an essential factor in preventing academic failure, has been threatened in this serious situation of unprecedented and stressful isolation. The aim of this study is to analyze the students' cognitive-emotional regulation as well as their beliefs and perceptions about the pandemic and this lockdown situation. With this extensive study we are carrying out, want to describe the extent to which the lockdown situation is a risk factor, and, in the future, make proposals for preventive and palliative actions, if necessary, to minimize this potential risk. Method: We applied the CERQ Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by means of an online application together with a questionnaire, CC/covid-19, of objective description and subjective perception of the lockdown situation of the students, their conditions to study, general opinions about the pandemic and specific opinions about the real possibilities of implementing online education in the middle of the academic year at the university. 1910 valid responses from more than 80 universities in 13 different Spanish-speaking countries were obtained and submitted to descriptive analysis and modeling using structural equations. Results: Most of them consider that the lockdown decision is correct, that health systems are not prepared to deal with the pandemic, and that although the universities have adequate means, the teaching staff is not competent to implement online teaching methodologies. They have a good perception of the conditions of isolation, however, the time devoted to studying has not increased. One of the results of our study is the students' self-evaluation about their digital competence and their capacity to perform

Stress, Coping, and Resilience Before and After COVID-19: A Predictive Model Based on Artificial Intelligence in the University Environment

“…Thus, for example, the positive restructuring coping strategy played a relevant role in the RNA when analyzing its standardized importance. In this line, a previous research concluded that those coping strategies of a cognitive nature were essential in the processes of adaptation and effective personal adjustment, especially when they focused the positive side of the situation or, at least, attempted to show a positive attitude ( Fernández-Cruz et al, 2020 ). Studies prior to confinement also found a relationship between the use of certain strategies, problem-solving focus, and lower stress levels in undergraduates ( Keech et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Furthermore, cultural factors mediated the use of these strategies; thus, a study conducted in Pakistan with 1,134 university apprentices concluded that religion was the most widely employed coping strategy during COVID-19, followed by acceptance, self-destruction, and other active coping techniques ( Salman et al, 2020 ). In another research involving over 80 Spanish-speaking universities in 13 different countries, cognitive strategies were key to adapting to the new situation of isolation, including the ability to seek its positive aspects ( Fernández-Cruz et al, 2020 ). Similarly, in pre-covid periods, statistically significant positive relationships had also been found between the engagement in avoidant behaviors -through technological means- and perceived stress ( Oliva et al, 2018 ), as well as negative relationships between higher social support and lower stress levels in young university students ( Erschens et al, 2018 ).…”

Emotional Cognitive Regulation in University Students during Lockdown: A Comparative Analysis of Students from Spanish Universities

“…The CC/COVID-19 adaptation of Cruz [30] is an instrument that was designed specifically for this study. It focuses on discovering the beliefs of university students about the pandemic and the housing conditions of the place where they spent their home confinement.…”

“…Given all the aforementioned information, it is clear that there is a wide range of references in the literature showing that psychological well-being is a factor that can affect persistence and early university dropout possibilities, and that the lockdown situation can cause stress [23,30,39]. We believe that this is a good time to analyze and compare the emotional cognitive regulation of students from mainland Spanish universities with that of students from the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.…”

“…Similar data can be seen in [29], a study on North American students showing an increase in stress, especially among female students. In the Spanish context, it has been shown, in [30], that university students with the greatest emotional cognitive regulation difficulties are the most susceptible to suffering possible effects on their studies and a possible increase in stress. As for the general population, González-Sanguino [31] provided evidence that women with symptoms associated with COVID-19 or a close family member affected by the virus have a higher level of depression and anxiety.…”