Gender Differences in Psychological Stress Factors of Physical Therapy Degree Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alberto Bermejo-Franco, Juan Luis Sánchez-Sánchez, María Isabel Gaviña-Barroso, Beatriz Atienza-Carbonell, Vicent Balanzá-Martínez and Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez
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Alberto Bermejo-Franco: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Juan Luis Sánchez-Sánchez: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain
María Isabel Gaviña-Barroso: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Beatriz Atienza-Carbonell: Department of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Vicent Balanzá-Martínez: Teaching Unit of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Vicente Javier Clemente-Suárez: Faculty of Sports Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-10

Abstract: (1) Background: The aim of the study was to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health and quality of life of male and female physical therapy students at the European University of Madrid. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted including a range of tests capturing different domains: 36-item Short Form Health Survey, six-item state version of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Three Items Loneliness Scale, four-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory revised version, and Sleep Quality Numeric Rating Scale. (3) Results: A total of 151 students completed the study, consisting of 78 females and 73 males. Gender differences were observed on most of the domains evaluated. Female participants showed worse levels of general health perception, quality of life, depression symptoms, anxiety, stress, experiential avoidance and psychological inflexibility, sleep quality and loneliness compared to male physical therapy students. (4) Conclusions: The results of this study support the need of psychological interventions as preventive programs in situations such as COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study comprise of improving knowledge, awareness, and self-coping strategies or other psychological domains oriented to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and health-related quality of life in university students, especially among female ones.

Keywords: psychological impact; COVID-19 pandemic; physical therapy students; Spanish (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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