The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Italian University Students’ Mental Health: Changes across the Waves

Consiglio, Micaela Di; Merola, Sheila; Pascucci, Tiziana; Violani, Cristiano; Couyoumdjian, Alessandro

doi:10.3390/ijerph18189897

Cited by 27 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The result that females compared with males, among undergraduate students, worsened their mental health status more, is in line with current national and international COVID-19 literature that estimates a greater risk in females than males in developing depression, anxiety, paranoid ideations, post-traumatic stress symptoms, sleep disorders, and a worsening in the interpersonal sensitivity dimension ( 13 , 23 – 26 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

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

et al. 2022

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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.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

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

et al. 2022

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“…The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic appears to be another challenging phenomenon for college students (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). With the onset of the pandemic, hitherto unknown conditions arose in their lives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Somatic Symptoms, Anxiety, and Depression Among College Students in the Czech Republic and Slovakia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Gavurová

Ivanková

Rigelský

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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Studying in college can be a challenging time for many students, which can affect their mental health. In addition to academic pressure and stressful tasks, another aggravating factor in student life is the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms in Czech and Slovak college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate possible socio-demographic determinants of mental health problems. A total of 3,099 respondents participated in this cross-sectional study (Czech Republic: 1,422, Slovakia: 1,677). The analyzes included the Patient Health Questionnaire for somatic symptoms (PHQ-15), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder instrument (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression (PHQ-9). Socio-demographic factors were gender, age, family structure, marital status, form of study, degree of study, year of study, field of study, distance between home and college, residence, and housing during the semester. Among Czech students, prevalence of somatic complaints, anxiety and depression was 72.2, 40.3, and 52%, respectively. Among Slovak students, prevalence of somatic complaints, anxiety and depression was 69.5, 34.6, and 47%, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the most severe mental health problems were identified in a non-negligible part of the sample (Czech Republic: PHQ-15 = 10.1%, GAD-7 = 4.9%, PHQ-9 = 3.4%; Slovakia: PHQ-15 = 7.4%, GAD-7 = 3.5%, PHQ-9 = 2.7%). Regarding the differences between the analyzed countries, a significantly higher score in somatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression was identified in the Czech Republic. Significant differences in mental disorders were found in most socio-demographic characteristics. The main results of the logistic regression analysis revealed that risk factors for mental health disorders in Czech and Slovak students were female gender, younger age, third degree of study, and study of Informatics, Mathematics, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Especially in the case of these high-risk groups of students, public policies should consider a response to impending problems. The findings are an appeal for a proactive approach to improving the mental health of students and for the implementation of effective prevention programs, which are more than necessary in the Czech and Slovak college environment.

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“…Secondary aims will be: (1) the feasibility assessment of this IB-MAI (in terms of acceptability, satisfaction, usability, and uptake) through a pilot study on a restricted sample; (2) a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to compare the IB-MAI with web-education, as the control condition (CC); and (3) exploratory analysis to tune a predictive model on the collected data adopting Machine Learning techniques.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Secondary aims will be: (1) the feasibility assessment of this IB-MAI (in terms of acceptability, satisfaction, usability, and uptake) through a pilot study on a restricted sample;…”

Section: Aims and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Worldwide, data about the prevalence of mental health issues are alarming: in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 30% of the general population suffered from depression, anxiety, distress, or insomnia [ 1 ]. University students appeared to be highly vulnerable to the risk of mental health deterioration during this period [ 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Internet-Based Multi-Approach Intervention Targeting University Students Suffering from Psychological Problems: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

Fabritiis

Trisolini

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Despite the widespread prevalence of mental health problems, most psychological distress remains untreated. Internet-based psychological interventions can be an essential tool for increasing treatment availability and accessibility. The main objective of the MindBlooming project is to design and implement an innovative Internet-based multi-approach treatment for university students suffering from psychological or physical problems. The intervention will focus on symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep problems, self-destructive thoughts, job- and study-related stress and burnout, and chronic pain. It will be based on different approaches, primarily psychoeducation, Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (CBT), and third-wave CBT. At the end of the treatment, user satisfaction and usability will be assessed. In addition, two further aims will be evaluating the treatment efficacy through a randomized controlled trial and tuning a predictive model through Machine Learning techniques. The intervention consists of a 7-week treatment on two problematic areas according to each students’ personal needs, identified through an initial assessment. Besides the treatment assigned following the initial screening, participants will also be assigned to a different module to improve their relational skills. The treatment, which can be accessed through a mobile app, consists of psychoeducational videos followed by related exercises. We expect MindBlooming to be a remarkable tool for promoting the mental health of university students.

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The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Italian University Students’ Mental Health: Changes across the Waves

Cited by 27 publications

References 47 publications

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

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

Somatic Symptoms, Anxiety, and Depression Among College Students in the Czech Republic and Slovakia: A Cross-Sectional Study

An Internet-Based Multi-Approach Intervention Targeting University Students Suffering from Psychological Problems: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

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