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Rosário NSA, do Santos GSE, Batista AL, de Assis AD, Nórte CE, Mocaiber I, Volchan E, Pereira GS, Pereira MG, de Oliveira L, Meireles AL, Bearzoti E, Souza GGL. Exploring the effects of COVID-19-related traumatic events on the mental health of university students in Brazil: A cross-sectional investigation. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 247:104300. [PMID: 38733745 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nacha Samadi Andrade Rosário
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP), Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
| | - Gabriel Soares Emiliano do Santos
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP), Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
| | - Ana Luiza Batista
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP), Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
| | - Aisllan Diego de Assis
- School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Mental and Public Health, Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Carlos Eduardo Nórte
- Department of Cognition and Development, Institute of Psychology, Rio de Janeiro State University (Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil
| | - Izabela Mocaiber
- Department of Natural Sciences, Institute of Humanities and Health, Fluminense Federal University (Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF), Rio das Ostras, RJ, Brazil
| | - Eliane Volchan
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Grace Schenatto Pereira
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Mirtes Garcia Pereira
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Fluminense Federal University (Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF), Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Letícia de Oliveira
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Fluminense Federal University (Universidade Federal Fluminense - UFF), Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | - Adriana Lúcia Meireles
- Department of Clinical and Social Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Bearzoti
- Department of Statistics, Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Guerra Leal Souza
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP), Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.
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Schmid J, Moschko T, Riccio M, Snyder KA, Gawrilow C, Stadler G. Self-control fluctuates from day to day and is linked to subjective well-being within and between persons. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2024; 16:254-272. [PMID: 37582548 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
The psychological trait of self-control has been linked to interindividual differences in subjective well-being: Individuals with higher self-control report less negative affect, more positive affect, and higher life satisfaction. However, less is known about how much self-control fluctuates from day to day and how these fluctuations are related to subjective well-being. This intensive longitudinal study describes day-to-day fluctuations in self-control and investigates whether and how they are related to subjective well-being. A sample of 64 undergraduate students at the entry phase of university (M = 22.55 years, SD = 6.51, range = 18-53, 97% female) provided 1459 reports of their self-control and subjective well-being, collected every evening across three 9-day measurement bursts over 6 months. Participants' self-control fluctuated substantially from day to day with less than 40% of the variability in daily self-control being attributable to interindividual differences in self-control. On days with higher self-control, participants reported less negative affect, more serenity, and higher life satisfaction. We found no relationship between self-control and vigor. The findings suggest that researchers need to go beyond current assessment practices and theories treating self-control as a stable trait to help develop tailored well-being interventions for everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Schmid
- Department of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Center for Research on Individual Developmental and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tomasz Moschko
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Gender in Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew Riccio
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Caterina Gawrilow
- Center for Research on Individual Developmental and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gertraud Stadler
- Gender in Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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