Exploring the effects of COVID-19-related traumatic events on the mental health of university students in Brazil: A cross-sectional investigation.
Acta Psychol (Amst)
; 247: 104300, 2024 Jul.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38733745
ABSTRACT
University students are vulnerable to mental health issues during their academic lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, university students faced mental distress due to lockdowns and the transition to e-learning. However, it is not known whether these students were also affected specifically by COVID-19-related traumatic events. This study examined the impact of COVID-19-related traumatic events on 2277 university students from two federal institutions of higher education in Brazil. The university students completed an online questionnaire covering demographics, lifestyle habits, health characteristics, COVID-19-related traumatic events, and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. The results showed that an increased intensity of COVID-19-related traumatic events was positively associated with stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and each specific type of event was associated with these symptoms. In addition, we found a negative association between these symptoms and male sex and age and a positive association with having or having had a history of cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, or mental disorders or another disease diagnosed by a physician. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the heightened risk of mental health issues in university students in the face of COVID-19-related traumatic events. Women, young people and people who have or have had a history of disease were the most vulnerable to mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Ansiedad
/
Estudiantes
/
Depresión
/
COVID-19
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Acta Psychol (Amst)
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Brasil