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

Natalia Sauer, Agnieszka Sałek, Wojciech Szlasa, Tomasz Ciecieląg, Jakub Obara, Sara Gaweł, Dominik Marciniak and Katarzyna Karłowicz-Bodalska
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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

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-14

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; pandemic; college students; mental health; trust in medical authorities; sexuality; financial concern (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 (4)

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