Anxiety, Stress Perception, and Coping Strategies among Students with COVID-19 Exposure

Abstract

Background: Studying anxiety, stress, and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial to mitigate the negative effects associated with infection risk and disease consequences. Objective: This study aimed to investigate anxiety levels, stress perception, and coping strategies in relation to the presence of illness. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted anonymously among 3950 university students from Poland (1822), Lithuania (232), and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad (1896). Due to the nearly identical application of anti-epidemic measures, the respondents were treated as a unified group. The State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10), and mini-COPE scale questionnaires were used. Statistical analysis included the Shapiro–Wilk test to check normality, the Mann–Whitney U test for comparative analysis between groups, the Pearson χ2 test for categorical data, and Spearman coefficients for correlations between variables. Results: A significant proportion of young adults in the community exhibited symptoms of anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the 1212 men and 2738 women surveyed, 348 (28.7%) and 1020 (37.3%) individuals, respectively, were diagnosed with COVID-19 according to clinical protocols. Prolonged disease duration and more severe residual symptoms correlated with higher self-reported anxiety levels. Conclusions: The level of anxiety and stress varied depending on the duration of the disease, significantly impacting the choice of coping strategies. Overall, students displayed a proactive approach to coping activities but tended to postpone important decisions. Seeking social support was a prevalent coping mechanism, although respondents who had COVID-19 showed higher levels of concern for their own emotions, a tendency to discharge emotions through alcohol or other substances (male), and a greater reliance on religion (female). The study provides data that may be useful in developing educational and health policies focused on the mental well-being of university students and potentially other social groups.

Psychological Disorders and Coping among Undergraduate College Students: Advocating for Students’ Counselling Services at Kuwait University

“…Such practice of inconsistent or mainly negative coping strategies toward stressors could mitigate the students’ performance and further influence their well-being [ 55 ]. Therefore, students should be encouraged by the academic staff to exhibit active coping strategies, including a proactive attitude to deal with stressors, seeking help from their academic mentors whenever needed, connectedness with other students, utilizing guidance and resources available within their faculties as well as other positive coping strategies leading to improved mental health [ 55 , 56 ]. That said, we recommend the Deanship of Student Affairs at Kuwait University implement policies and guidelines that foster the application of psychoeducation programs in favor of supporting students’ academic motivation and desired coping strategies [ 57 ].…”