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The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Well-Being of College Students

Author

Listed:
  • Natalia Sauer

    (Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Agnieszka Sałek

    (Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Wojciech Szlasa

    (Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Tomasz Ciecieląg

    (Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Jakub Obara

    (Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Sara Gaweł

    (Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Dominik Marciniak

    (Department of Drugs Form Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Katarzyna Karłowicz-Bodalska

    (Department of Drugs Form Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an overall increase in stress and depression in society. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the psychological condition of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore factors influencing their daily functioning. The study focused on four main aspects such as mental well-being, sexuality, concern about financial status, and trust in medical authorities. The study was based on a specially designed survey. The questionnaire was created using Google Forms and shared on social media sites. A total of 630 students participated in the survey, 17 surveys were excluded due to incomplete data and 613 surveys (97.30%) were considered for the final analysis. During isolation, 68.0% of students experienced fear of missing out (FOMO). A total of 73.4% were frustrated due to spending a lot of time in front of a computer. A significant decrease in motivation to study was reported by 78.1% of the respondents. Students showed significantly different attitudes towards sexuality. Concern about the financial situation was reported by 48.7% of respondents. The state of the Polish economy was of concern to 86.4% of respondents. A total of 74.5% of students declared concern about their career development. During the pandemic, 59.0% of respondents became concerned about their health. The attitude towards vaccination was described as positive by 82.5% of the respondents. The percentage of respondents experiencing negative psychological effects relative to the overall epidemiological situation of COVID-19 is troubling. Given the unexpected length and severity of the pandemic, we suggest that students’ concerns be more thoroughly understood and addressed.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalia Sauer & Agnieszka Sałek & Wojciech Szlasa & Tomasz Ciecieląg & Jakub Obara & Sara Gaweł & Dominik Marciniak & Katarzyna Karłowicz-Bodalska, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Well-Being of College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-14, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:9:p:5089-:d:799414
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Benjamin W Nelson & Adam Pettitt & Jessica E Flannery & Nicholas B Allen, 2020. "Rapid assessment of psychological and epidemiological correlates of COVID-19 concern, financial strain, and health-related behavior change in a large online sample," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, November.
    2. Kritika Poudel & Pramod Subedi, 2020. "Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on socioeconomic and mental health aspects in Nepal," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(8), pages 748-755, December.
    3. Ceren Hayran & Lalin Anik, 2021. "Well-Being and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on Digital Content in the Time of COVID-19: A Correlational Analysis among University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    4. Francesca Gallè & Elita Anna Sabella & Stefano Ferracuti & Osvalda De Giglio & Giuseppina Caggiano & Carmela Protano & Federica Valeriani & Eduardo Alfonso Parisi & Giuliana Valerio & Giorgio Liguori , 2020. "Sedentary Behaviors and Physical Activity of Italian Undergraduate Students during Lockdown at the Time of CoViD?19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-11, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sean G. Young, 2023. "Hidden Costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-7, April.
    2. Chiara Buizza & Clarissa Ferrari & Giulio Sbravati & Jessica Dagani & Herald Cela & Giuseppe Rainieri & Alberto Ghilardi, 2023. "Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Well-Being, Social Relationships and Academic Performance in a Sample of University Freshmen: A Propensity Score Match Evaluation Pre- and Post-Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(15), pages 1-19, July.
    3. Mor Yehudai & Marilyn Clark & Andrew Azzopardi & Shai-li Romem Porat & Adi Dagan & Alexander Reznik & Richard Isralowitz, 2023. "COVID-19 Fear Impact on Israeli and Maltese Female “Help” Profession Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-11, February.
    4. Ziao Hu & Jun Li & Ling Pan & Xiaoying Zhang, 2022. "COVID-19 Lockdown Stress and the Mental Health of College Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-14, October.

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