The psychosocial suffering in university: listening to students in times of crisis

Abstract

The article presents results of research carried out with university students at a public university in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire was used containing socio demographic questions, followed by a Likert-type scale, addressing 4 dimensions of the students' experience: (1) personal/emotional; (2) interpersonal; (3) studies/profession; and (4) virtual life. The participants were 206 undergraduate students, most of them young, female, single and with low family income. The data reveal students' worries, insecurity and anxiety in relation to the present, in contrast to confidence and hope in relation to the future. The importance of interpersonal networks represented by friends and family as emotional support is highlighted. Interactions in virtual life were important for maintaining emotional ties and minimizing the effects of social distancing during the pandemic, although they were not considered a substitute for in-person contact. Feelings of loneliness were frequent, suggesting subjective effects of compulsory isolation, with possible long-term repercussions for mental health. The work aims to contribute to debate on mental health in university life in the post-pandemic period and to planning collective interventions for overcoming impasses. Furthermore, it collaborates with the interdisciplinary discussion that is necessary in times of crisis, with repercussions for intersectoral actions articulated between education and mental health.