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Anxiety and need for support of college students during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An exploratory study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A. Torres ,
R. Melo ,
F. Príncipe ,
A. Ferreira  and
A. Quesado
A. Torres*
Affiliation:
Cintesis - Pólo Ua, CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research, Portugal (R&D Unit ref. UIDB/4255/2020), Aveiro, Portugal Nursing, Portuguese Red Cross Northern Health School, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal
R. Melo
Affiliation:
Nursing, Portuguese Red Cross Northern Health School, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal
F. Príncipe
Affiliation:
Nursing, Portuguese Red Cross Northern Health School, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal Center For Health Technology And Services Research (r&d Unit Ref. Uidb/4255/2020), CINTESIS, Porto, Portugal
A. Ferreira
Affiliation:
Nursing, Portuguese Red Cross Northern Health School, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal
A. Quesado
Affiliation:
Nursing, Portuguese Red Cross Northern Health School, Oliveira de Azeméis, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

During the pandemic state, college students are exposed to additional stressful factors, including but not limited to: fear of being infected; fear of infecting a significant person; deal with a new reality of economic uncertainty; challenges of distance education; new rules in face-to-face classes; restrictions on access to internships and higher demanding in internships.

Objectives

This exploratory study aims to assess levels of anxiety and the perception of the need for support of students of a Portuguese Higher Education Institution (HEI).

Methods

An exploratory study was developed, on the return of students to the presential classes after the academic lockdown. It was spread out an email for all students with a link for an online form, which includes sociodemographic questions, a screening question of the anxiety level, and the need for support level (rating scales 0-10).

Results

It was obtained 36 answers from mostly female students (92%) with 17 to 21 years old (67%). Answers present an average anxiety level of 5.4 (Min=1; Max=9; SD=2.23), with 58% of answers with a score of anxiety level of 5 or higher. The need for support average was 3.7 (Min=1; Max=9; SD=2.23), with 33% of answers with a score of 5 or higher.

Conclusions

It is necessary to continuously monitor the anxiety level and the need for support of college students during the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic. It is similarly relevant to have responses of HEI to promote mental health and to answer to the high levels of students’ anxiety and needs for support during the pandemic.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2Anxietyneed for supportCollege students
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S295
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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