Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Background: Prolonged university closures and social distancing-imposed measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic obliged students to at-home learning with online lectures and educational programs promoting potential social isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, and episodes of clinical decompensation.Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in a university institute in Milan, Northern Italy, to assess the COVID-19 lockdown impact on the mental health of the undergraduate students. We estimated the odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) using adjusted logistic regression models.Results: Of the 8,177 students, 12.8% reported depressive symptoms, 25.6% anxiety, 8.7% insomnia, and 10.6% reported impulsive tracts, with higher proportions among females than males. Mental health symptoms were positively associated with caring for a person at home, a poor housing quality, and a worsening in working performance. Among males compared with females, a poor housing quality showed a stronger positive association with depressive symptoms and impulsivity, and a worsening in the working performance was positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. In addition, the absence of private space was positively associated with depression and anxiety, stronger among males than females.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first multidisciplinary consortium study, involving public mental health, environmental health, and architectural design. Further studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings and consequent recommendations to implement well-being interventions in pandemic conditions.

Effect of Housing Quality on the Mental Health of University Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…A total sample of N = 9261 full answers was gathered through the Google Forms platform, composing bachelor’s students, master’s students, PhD students, teaching staff, and administrative personnel, aged ≥18 years old. General data and descriptive statistics from the same survey were previously published in two scientific papers [ 31 , 42 ]. To ensure sample homogeneity and reduce biases, in the present study, only the student sub-population was selected for the analysis, including bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students.…”

“…In the third section, the architectural parameters were clustered into: Other variables were analyzed through the survey, such as: access to livable outdoor spaces (balcony or garden) measured in terms of balcony depth and garden access. If the respondent had access to outdoor spaces, natural daylight exposure of outdoor spaces was assessed in terms of hours per day; such variables are not pertinent for this paper, and were previously analyzed and discussed in a scientific publication by the authors [31,42].…”

Factors and optimizations of healthcare workers' perception in alternative care facilities

“…Only some showed that buildings, like residential living situations, impacted people's physical and mental well-being during the epidemic (67)(68)(69). Some analyzed the effect of housing built-environments on personal depression and anxieties (70,71). Also, studies using multiple regression analyses show that the better the building design is, the fewer stress people may feel and the more active feedback the user will get (72).…”

Analysis of students' positive emotions around the green space in the university campus during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

“…It also has been demonstrated that, as a basis for the restorative effects of the environment, preferences moderate the effect of perceptions of green space on positive emotion (56). After experiencing the COVID-19 lockdown, university students were more eager to be in outdoor environments (35,57). The positive attitude toward being outside may have an impact on students' perceived naturalness and landscape preference, which may affect their positive emotions about enjoying the CGSs.…”