Predictors of academic performance during the covid-19 outbreak: impact of distance education on mental health, social cognition and memory abilities in an Italian university student sample

Abstract

Background This study aimed to investigate the impact of distance education (DE) on mental health, social cognition, and memory abilities in a sample of university students during the national COVID-19 lockdown in Italy and to identify the predictors of academic performance. Methods Two hundred and three students (76.4% women, mean age 24.3, SD ± 4.9) responded to an anonymous online cross-sectional survey between July 15 and September 30, 2020, on DE experience and cognitive and social-cognitive variables. A short version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II, ten images from the Eyes Task, and five memory vignette stimuli were included in the survey. Descriptive, one-way ANOVA, correlation, and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results Half of the student sample reported significant impairment in concentration and learning abilities during DE. Regarding psychological health, 19.7%, 27.1%, and 23.6% of the sample reported mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms, respectively. Correlation analyses showed a statistically significant negative association between depression and the overall subjective evaluation of DE (r = − 0.359; p < 0.000). Changes in one’s study context and habits, i.e., studying alone at one’s parents’ home instead of studying with colleagues or alone in a university “social place” (e.g., the university library), seemed to increase the likelihood of poor academic performance by almost 3 times (O.R. 3.918; p = 0.032). This predictor was no longer statistically significant in the subsequent step when the individual impairment predictors were entered. Learning concentration impairment during DE (O.R. 8.350; p = 0.014), anxiety about COVID-19 contagion for oneself or others (O.R. 3.363; p = 0.022), female gender (O.R. 3.141; p = 0.045), and depressive symptomatology (O.R. 1.093; p = 0.047) were ultimately determined to be the strongest predictors of poor academic performance, whereas the appreciation of DE represented a protective variable (O.R. 0.610; p < 0.000). Conclusions The study showed a negative impact of DE on the mental health of students presenting depressive symptoms and impairment in concentration and learning, the latter identified as the strongest predictors of poor academic performances. The study confirms the emerging need to monitor the impact of DE, which occurred during the 2019/2020 academic year and will continue in the coming months, to refine educational offerings and meet students' psychological needs by implementing psychological interventions based on the modifiable variables that seem to compromise students’ psychological well-being and academic outcomes.

The Impact of School Strategies and the Home Environment on Home Learning Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Children With and Without Developmental Disorders

“…For children of whom their parents reported more COVID-19 related worries, which was more often the case in DD children and in girls, both teacher-driven and assignment-driven teaching methods were rated as less effective. This finding is in line with the hypothesis and with previous research in the pandemic context (Cao et al, 2020 ; Giusti et al, 2021 ) and also consistent with prior research in the anxiety and depression domain showing that emotional-cognitive interference negatively influences task performance (Putwain et al, 2010 ). This can be explained by looking at the lower amount of working memory resources being available for cognitive tasks while worrying (Owens et al, 2012 ).…”

“…Studies underpin the importance of cold (working memory, planning, extent to engage in rehearsal, taking initiative…) and warm executive functions (e.g., emotion regulation, inhibition control; Mercader et al, 2018 ). In the context of COVID-19 it was for example shown in several studies that worries about getting infected with the disease (self or relative) are related to more negative affect and feelings of anxiety and depression (e.g., Giusti et al, 2021 ; Saravanan et al, 2020 ), especially in girls (e.g., Elmer et al, 2020 ; Rajkumar, 2020 ; Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al, 2020 ) and that these feelings in turn are negatively related to academic motivation and performance (Cao et al, 2020 ; Giusti et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In addition, parents who find their children more competent and more motivated will probably have rated the teaching methods as more effective and might have been more satisfied about how the school handled the remote teaching situation, because these children will have relied less on their parents help. Further, the effectivity of both teaching methods was expected to be reduced if a child reflected more COVID-19 related worries (Cao et al, 2020 ; Giusti et al, 2021 ).…”

A cross-sectional study of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate and graduate students in Japan

“…As some studies have shown ( Ochnik et al, 2021 ; Nomura et al, 2021 ; Giusti et al, 2021 ), this study also suggests that females have worse mental health than males.…”

“…In Italy, during the lockdown, students were reported to have experienced more psychological distress than workers ( Marelli et al, 2020 ). Risk factors associated with the worsening of students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic include being female, participation in distance education, exposure to mass media, low levels of social support, previous mental health problems, financial problems, delays in academic activities, and living in a city ( Cao et al, 2020 ; Ma et al, 2020 ; Ochnik et al, 2021 ; Giusti et al, 2021 ). Smoking and consuming alcohol have also been associated with increased risk ( Nomura et al, 2021 ).…”