Class of 2020 in Poland: Students' Mental Health during the COVID-19 Outbreak in an Academic Setting.

Tomasz Wieczorek,Joanna Rymaszewska,Błażej Misiak,Agata Kołodziejczyk,Marta Ciułkowicz,Julian Maciaszek,Dorota Szcześniak

doi:10.3390/ijerph18062884

Tomasz Wieczorek, Joanna Rymaszewska + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062884

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had led universities to introduce lockdowns, which has led to significant shifts in students’ lives. Classes were moved online, students had to leave dorms and move; they had to forgo regular meetings with their peers. Subsequently, a vital demand for examining students’ mental health emerged. The data were collected at a time when universities in Poland were under lockdowns. Participants represented students of many different fields of study. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used. Student’s subjective evaluation of online learning and their adaptation to academic life shifts were reviewed. A total of 1123 participants took part in this study. Relationship analysis included tests, such as U Mann–Whitney, appropriate for specific variables. The impact of variables connected with the pandemic on the GHQ scores was tested using multivariate regression analysis. The results were considered significant at a p-value set at 0.05. Overall, 76.96% of the participants manifested psychopathological symptoms measured by the GHQ. Four demographical variables were possibly associated with the GHQ scores: female sex, living in a big city, necessity to move back home, and being in a relationship. Negative correlations between subjective evaluation of variables concerning e-learning, such as its efficiency or quality, and the GHQ scores were found. Some variables were found to be potential protective factors, whereas others could have contributed to worsened mental health. The study provides data on students’ worsened mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifts in academic life it caused. Therefore, recommendations for early psychosocial interventions among students are strongly advised.

Highlights

Since the discovery of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in December of 2019 and theWorld Health Organization’s subsequent proclamation of a pandemic around the world in March 2020, it has become clear that the aftermath of this epidemic will impact many individuals as well as specific groups
These tools are not comparable: Kessler-10 contains questions focused on perceived anxiety and depressive symptoms, while Global Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-28 includes self-assessment of social functioning, insomnia, and somatic symptoms, so Kessler-10 may falsely indicate lower quantity and percentage of distressed participants
Regarding demographic variables that could determine GHQ scores, we found that female sex was associated with higher scores, while living in a big city seemed to be related to lower severity of anxiety and insomnia symptoms

Summary

Introduction

World Health Organization’s subsequent proclamation of a pandemic around the world in March 2020, it has become clear that the aftermath of this epidemic will impact many individuals as well as specific groups. One of the most affected group around the world has proved to be university students [1,2]. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, policy makers introduced restrictions such as: quarantine, social distancing, obligatory mask-wearing, and strict disinfection regimes. These rules applied to individuals in almost every population. Many universities around the world, including Polish ones [3,4], have introduced lockdowns and moved curricula online [5,6]

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