Mental distress and well-being of university students amid COVID-19 pandemic: findings from an online integrative intervention for psychology trainees

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology 2023-07, Vol.14, p.1171225
• Main Authors: Yotsidi, Vasiliki, Nikolatou, Eirini-Konstantina, Kourkoutas, Elias, Kougioumtzis, Georgios A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; mental distress; Psychology; resilience; risk factors; university students; well-being
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1171225

University students have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as significant changes supervened their academic and social life. To tackle these challenges, several adjustments in the educational methods may be warranted for cultivating a positive environment at higher education institutions. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk and protective factors of students' mental health and well-being as well as their potential for flourishing in an undergraduate clinical psychology course that took place online due to the COVID-19 restrictive measures and incorporated positive psychology exercises as a means to empower young people amid the adverse conditions of the lockdown. In total, 124 students attended the course and completed mental health (i.e., DASS-9, HADS, ERQ) and well-being (i.e., MHC-SF, SWLS, PANAS, GQ-6, BRS) measures at two time points (pre-and-post-test), during the first restrictions in Greece (March-June 2020). According to the results, students aged 18-20 years old reported higher levels of stress [  = 14.72,  = 0.002], while students who felt that the quality of their studies had deteriorated [  = 6.57,  = 0.038] reported increased levels of anxiety. High levels of depression were correlated with worse relationships with significant others (  = 7.02,  = 0.030 and  = 11.39,  = 0.003 for family and friends, respectively), while gratitude and resilience were positively correlated with improved relationships with others, both during and after the lockdown. Factors associated with students' well-being were satisfaction with life and gratitude. These results suggest that well-being enhancement factors may have added value to current educational practices for promoting students' mental health and well-being in times of crisis.