Psychosocial impact on health-related and non-health related university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of an electronic survey

Abstract

Introduction The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused feelings of anxiety, confusion, and panic among the world population. Due to these psychological changes resulting from the stress produced by the disease, we sought to investigate the psychological impact of the pandemic on the university student community. Material and methods 1,283 students were surveyed, of which 1,149 students were selected. The majority of the subjects were female, and the overall average age was of 20 years. They were provided with an 82-question online questionnaire divided into four sections; looking for the prevalence of significant symptomatology of major depression and generalised anxiety using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales; and factors that potentially affect the mental health of our university population. Results We found a high prevalence of significant depression (47.08%) and anxiety (27.06%) symptomatology, considering a score of 10 or more as cut-off point. There was no significant difference in depression and anxiety symptomatology between the health-care students and non-health-care students. Conclusions Our results, together with what is observed in the literature, allow us to conclude that the college student population has a high risk of mental illness, and these should be taken into consideration for the search of effective strategies for detection and control of mental health illnesses. Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic is a red flag that shows the need to upgrade mental health programmes in universities and to validate virtual instruments.

The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on students’ mental health: A cross-sectional study

“…Research with students from Bangladesh showed that mental health problems can predict some psychopathological symptoms [ 26 ] and that there is a link between fear and anxiety about the virus and anxiety reactions. High anxiety levels, were also found in medical students from Mexico [ 27 ], and consequently, the students stated that anxiety and depressive reactions in that period were the main problems in normal everyday life. Health-related anxiety also occurred in students in Germany [ 28 ], where half of them reported increased concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

ISOLAMENTO SOCIAL E SAÚDE MENTAL DE ESTUDANTES UNIVERSITÁRIOS LATINO-AMERICANOS NA PANDEMIA DA COVID-19: Revisão sistemática

“…apresentaram qualidade metodológica moderada, 3 (27%) qualidade baixa e apenas 1 (9%) qualidade alta. Todos os estudos utilizaram instrumentos validados (Paixão et al, 2022;Reyes-Molina et al, 2022;Perissotto et al, 2021;Mota et al, 2021;Teixeira et al, 2021;Gonçalves et al, 2021;García-Espinosa et al, 2021;Cavalcanti et al, 2021;Mendes et al, 2021;Saraiva-Bartra et al, 2020) ou adaptados para o contexto do estudo (Hernández-García et al, 2021). Todos os estudos analisaram ao menos dois fatores de confusão (variáveis centrais) em suas análises.…”

“…Apenas os estudos com baixo risco de viés e consequente melhores qualidades metodológicas possuem amostras devidamente representativas e adequadas para avaliação estatística (Teixeira et al, 2021;García-Espinosa et al, 2021;Mendes et al, 2021). Por outro lado, o estudo com mais elevado comprometimento da qualidade metodológica, além de ser formado por amostra não probabilística tomada por conveniência, não faz aplicação adequada de teste estatístico dos dados disponíveis (Cavalcanti et al, 2021).…”

Differences in college students’ occupational dysfunction and mental health considering trait and state anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…It has been reported worldwide that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the number of students, regardless of faculty, with generalized anxiety disorder symptoms, depression, and anxiety ( García-Espinosa et al, 2021 ). Studies show a decline in student mental health due to the pandemic; 25–27% of Chinese university students showed significant negative psychological changes ( Cao et al, 2020 ; Li et al, 2020 ), and 34% and 45% of Pakistani university students reported anxiety and depression, respectively ( Salman et al, 2020 ).…”