INFLUENCE OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND ACADEMIC FACTORS ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several factors negatively influenced the lives of millions of university students around the world, especially on the mental aspects of this population. This research aimed to analyze the influence of sociodemographic and academic factors on the psychological aspects (self-perceived stress and levels of anxiety and depression) of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was carried out, in which a representative sample of 254 university students residing in the state of Paraíba - Brazil was investigated, based on the use of a questionnaire available on the Google FORMS® platform, which included questions related to the sociodemographic profile, perceived stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's Chi-square test, followed by binary logistic regression in the multivariate analysis, with the respective odds ratio (OR), considering a significance level of p< 0.05 and a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. Psychological aspects are dependent on age, family income, having children, perception of quality of life and general mental health, type of HEI, problems attending classes in the ER and satisfaction with the ER. When observing the gender of the sample, it was observed that the female gender had higher scores in the scores of self-perceived stress, anxiety and depression. Variables associated with psychological aspects reveal a complex relationship between the sociodemographic and academic components of university students who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic.