Somatic and psychological distress among Russian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

A National Epidemiologic Mixed-methods Study on Depression, Anxiety, Substance Use, Treatment Needs and Barriers and Facilitators to Treatment Among Medical Students

Background

Research on the mental health of medical students enrolled in Paraguayan universities has mainly examined the prevalence of anxiety and depression, with limited exploration of treatment access, barriers, and facilitators. Additionally, substance use, such as alcohol and other substances, is of significant concern because of its association with mental health issues. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders, as well as to identify barriers and facilitators influencing medical students' access to mental health and substance use treatment in the Republic of Paraguay.

Methods

A national mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted with 532 medical students from public and private universities across the Republic of Paraguay. Data were collected via an online survey in 2024 using validated tools to measure mental health conditions, including alcohol and other substance use. Qualitative responses regarding barriers to and facilitators of treatment were categorized and analyzed.

Results

The findings revealed high rates of anxiety (76.8%) and depression (39.3%). Substance use was also concerning, with 11.1% reporting alcohol-related problems and 1.9% reporting other substance-related problems. Barriers to seeking treatment included confidentiality concerns, stigma, and financial constraints, while facilitators included trust in the mental health system, emotional distress, and accessibility. Despite the availability of these services, many students felt unsupported by their universities.

Conclusions

Paraguayan universities must urgently address the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use, improve service accessibility, and build trust in the academic environment. Tackling these issues is crucial for safeguarding medical students' mental health and future.

Depression, anxiety, and help-seeking among Slovenian postsecondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has faced students with many challenges, contributing to their mental distress. This article explores the role of demographic characteristics, psychological status, year of study, and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic in explaining Slovenian university students' mental health problems and help-seeking behavior.

Methods

In February and March 2021, data were collected on 5,234 full-time Slovenian postsecondary students who were enrolled in public and concessionary independent higher education institutions. Participants completed a questionnaire, which included The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7), Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), and items measuring psychological status, help-seeking behavior and demographics. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and hypothesis testing for differences.

Results

Factors, such as gender, age, psychological status and social support, contributed to experiencing anxiety and depression among Slovenian students during the COVID-19 pandemic, with year of study additionally contributing to experiencing depression. Similarly, gender, age, psychological status and social support contributed to help-seeking behavior. Higher levels of depression and anxiety were reported by female students, students with prior mental disorders, and students with lower social support levels. Female students and students with lower social support levels reported more frequent help-seeking behaviors.

Conclusion

The results provide insight into the mental state of the Slovenian student population in the context of imposed public health measures at the end of the second COVID-19 wave in Slovenia. The findings can help identify vulnerable groups within the student population to whom we must be particularly attentive in times of crisis.

Optimism, Resilience, and General Self-Efficacy Predict Lower Somatic Burden during the COVID-19 Pandemic

There is scarce evidence of a relationship between positive and psychosomatic characteristics. This study aimed to examine the associations of somatic burden with psychological resources such as optimism, resilience, and general self-efficacy. Russian participants (n = 1020) completed measures of psychological resources at Time 1 and somatic symptoms at Time 2. The results showed that somatic burden decreased with greater levels of optimism, resilience, and general self-efficacy. Regarding health and sociodemographic characteristics, female sex increased somatic burden in the model with optimism scores, university education decreased somatic burden in the model with resilience scores, and history of COVID-19 disease increased somatic burden in the models with optimism, resilience, and general self-efficacy scores. This study has theoretical and practical contributions. It combines positive psychology and psychosomatic medicine and highlights the value of psychological resource interventions in the treatment and prevention of somatic burden. These findings may be useful for scientists, clinicians, and practitioners.

Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Levels among University Students: Three Years from the Beginning of the Pandemic

BACKGROUND

Three years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, psychological distress among college students remains increased. This study assesses stress, anxiety, and depression levels among students of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki by the end of the third year of the pandemic (November 2022), revealing demographic characteristics and probable stressors.

METHODS

A questionnaire was distributed in November 2022 via the academic students' e-mails. The evaluation was performed with the DASS21 survey tool. The correlation analysis and the effect size calculation were performed with the t-test.

RESULTS

The majority of participants were undergraduates, on their first or second academic year, female students (67%), age of 18 to 21, unmarried or single (91%), and vaccinated against COVID-19 infection (83.4%). Severely increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression (21.3%, 23.3%, and 25.1%, respectively) were measured. The normal and mild levels of stress, anxiety, and depression were 64.0%, 66.5%, and 57.2%, respectively. Female and younger students were at a higher risk of extremely severe stress, anxiety and depression prevalence (ORs up to 2.07, p-Values < 0.00001). Participants who were receiving psychological or psychiatric treatment exhibited severe stress, anxiety, and depression levels (ORs above 2.9, p-Values < 0.00001).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the undeniable withdrawal of the COVID-19 pandemic, the community of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki presents high stress, anxiety, and depression levels, similar to those reported during the first year of the pandemic (November 2020). Stressors and risk factors were according to the reported literature and previous studies on Greek students. Academic psychological support offices should consider the students' "profile" in order to evaluate properly the potential risk for emotional and psychological distress. Evidence suggest that new technology (virtual reality, tele-psychiatry or tele-support apps and sessions) should also be implemented in universities.

Factors affecting psychological health and career choice among medical students in eastern and western region of China after COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

To unearth superior countermeasures that improve psychological health and upgrade the quality of employment for medical students in China in post-epidemic era, this study was designed to determine the possible factors affecting psychological status and future career choice of this population.

Methods

A cross-sectional observational study was carried out. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were applied to measure psychological state. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were adopted to filtrate related factors for psychological health and employment intention.

Results

A total of 936 medical students, including 522 from eastern universities and 414 from western universities, were enrolled in the study. Anxiety among students in China's western universities was higher than that in China's eastern universities (30.4% vs. 22.0%), but no differences in the occurrences of stress (11.4% vs. 13.4%), depression (28.7% vs. 24.5%) and insomnia (30.7% vs. 25.7%). Grades, academic ranking, household income, attitudes about COVID-19 were associated with the occurrence of psychological problems. In addition, major, education level, academic ranking, family income, and clinical experience may affect the choice of future employment location and employment income. Notably, household income affected by COVID-19 and the perception of epidemic prevention and control resulted in changes in future employment region and income. COVID-19 can lead medical students with psychological problems to have a negative attitude toward future employment. Encouragingly, multiple activities, namely, proactive consideration of employment, taking part in career planning training lectures and timely adjustment of career planning, were beneficial to the professional identity of medical students.

Conclusion

This study suggests that medical student psychology is influenced by COVID-19 and academic and financial pressures; actively coping with COVID-19 and making career planning in advance will contribute to optimizing future employment. Our findings provide a potent guideline for relevant departments to accurately adjust job deployment and for medical students to actively choose a career in the future.