Academic distress among undergraduate students during COVID-19: the relevance of SES and help-seeking behaviors

Abstract

IntroductionAcademic distress has been frequently reported following the COVID-19 pandemic. This study estimates academic distress among undergraduate students, characterizes its nature in relation to economic, social, and health indicators, and examines the level of request for help following mental distress. Students with higher levels of academic distress were expected to show lower socio-economic status, lower social connections, and lower wellbeing indices.MethodsA cross-sectional study based on a structured anonymous questionnaire was delivered online to more than 1,400 undergraduate students from one university in Israel (women, 66.7%).ResultsAcademic distress was reported by 27.1% of the sample. Students who reported academic distress were more likely to report stress, negative psycho-somatic symptoms, changes in weight since COVID-19, low self-esteem, depressive symptoms, higher COVID-19 concerns, and higher security situation concerns. A hierarchic logistic regression model showed that the probability of reporting academic distress was 2.567 times higher (p < 0.001 95% CI [1.702, 3.871]) for those who reported lower family economic status before COVID-19 and 2.141 times higher (p = 0.004 95% CI [1.284, 3.572]) for those who highly reported depressive symptoms. In contrast, only 15.6% of those who reported academic distress sought help from academic authorities.DiscussionThe significant associations of academic distress with health indices indicate that the self-reported distress was real and highly related to adverse health measures. A comprehensive, collaborative model that integrates psychological, economic, and social aspects of intervention is required in times of crisis within academic institutions.

Fire and Oil Led to Complex Mixtures of PAHs on Burnt and Unburnt Plastic during the M/V X-Press Pearl Disaster

“…Pyroplastics enter the marine environment not only from a maritime disaster like that of the M/V X-Press Pearl and presumably other ship fires (e.g., M/V Golden Ray and Felicity Ace ) but also from more frequent open burning of waste and large-scale fires. − Such material arises from the open burning of an estimated 970 million tons of plastic-containing waste each year. , Natural disasters–especially wildfires–can be another source of pyroplastic entering the environment. ,,, Municipal water lines have already been shown to be contaminated by polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene pipes that melted and burned during wildfires. , Forms of plastic like those from the X-Press Pearl are likely produced by these actions, and remnants of this material presumably enter the environment along the same paths as other mismanaged waste . Defining comprehensive chemical features for openly burned plastic is needed.…”