Mental health of university students in times of pandemic restriction

Abstract

Social isolation practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic has had repercussions in various aspects of the personal and social lives of thousands of people. Among the social categories most severely affected are young college students. This group has been impacted not only in terms of their mental health, within this context, but also strained by unemployment, the need for technological adaptations, and, primarily, social isolation. This research focuses precisely on the issue of social isolation, a reality that has been shown to affect both physical and psychological health. The text revolves around the objective of analyzing the effects of this restriction on the mental health of university students at the Catholic University Dom Bosco in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. Data is obtained from a sample of 648 participants through an online questionnaire and subjected to descriptive statistical analysis adapted to a case study. A high percentage of positivity for mental health compromising factors such as stress, depression, and anxiety, among others, is evident. This diagnosis, in the post-pandemic crisis context, proves capable of contributing to the quality of life and academic performance, favoring the university's implementation of actions that ensure a guided and humanized return to in-person classes.