Abstract
An increasing number of studies have addressed the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the general population. Nevertheless, far less is known about the impact on 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 mediated 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.
Highlights
In late December 2019, a new coronavirus disease (COVID19) emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan
When the demographics of the sample are compared to the overall population in the main university of Galicia (USC) and in the whole Spanish university system (SUE; see Table 2), we find that our sample is composed of a relatively higher proportion of women: 75.5% versus 61.1% and 55.3.% in USC and Spanish universities (SUE), respectively
A growing number of studies have addressed the psychological effects of the COVID-19 crisis, but very little is known about the impact on university students, even if students might be expected to be greatly affected by the pandemic conditions and by the policies implemented to curtail the spread of the disease
Summary
In late December 2019, a new coronavirus disease (COVID19) emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. This new disease, caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2), spreads very from one person to another and rapidly affected other parts of China (Wang et al, 2020). As of July 06, 2020 (the date of writing this article), about 9,843,073 confirmed cases, including 495,760 deaths, have been reported by the WHO (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020a). At the time of writing, Spain is one of the three countries (after Belgium and the United Kingdom) with the highest rate of confirmed cases and deaths per million inhabitants (July 06, 2020, cf World Health Organization [WHO], 2020c)
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