Exploring the effects of COVID-19-related traumatic events on the mental health of university students in Brazil: A cross-sectional investigation

• Published in: Acta psychologica 2024-07, Vol.247, p.104300, Article 104300
• Main Authors: Rosário, Nacha Samadi Andrade, do Santos, Gabriel Soares Emiliano, Batista, Ana Luiza, de Assis, Aisllan Diego, Nórte, Carlos Eduardo, Mocaiber, Izabela, Volchan, Eliane, Pereira, Grace Schenatto, Pereira, Mirtes Garcia, de Oliveira, Letícia, Meireles, Adriana Lúcia, Bearzoti, Eduardo, Souza, Gabriela Guerra Leal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Brazil - epidemiology; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; COVID-19 pandemic; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depression - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Health; SARS-CoV-2; Stress; Stress, Psychological; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Traumatic events; Universities; University student; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0001-6918; 1873-6297; 1873-6297
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104300

University students are vulnerable to mental health issues during their academic lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, university students faced mental distress due to lockdowns and the transition to e-learning. However, it is not known whether these students were also affected specifically by COVID-19-related traumatic events. This study examined the impact of COVID-19-related traumatic events on 2277 university students from two federal institutions of higher education in Brazil. The university students completed an online questionnaire covering demographics, lifestyle habits, health characteristics, COVID-19-related traumatic events, and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. The results showed that an increased intensity of COVID-19-related traumatic events was positively associated with stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and each specific type of event was associated with these symptoms. In addition, we found a negative association between these symptoms and male sex and age and a positive association with having or having had a history of cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, or mental disorders or another disease diagnosed by a physician. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the heightened risk of mental health issues in university students in the face of COVID-19-related traumatic events. Women, young people and people who have or have had a history of disease were the most vulnerable to mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. •Type and intensity of COVID-19-related traumas were collected from college students.•Increased intensity of traumas was positively associated with mental symptoms.•Each type of trauma was associated with mental symptoms.•Mental symptoms were associated with sex, age, and previous disease.•COVID-19-related traumas can exacerbate suffering even in the non-frontline of the pandemic sample.