Evaluation of the Perception of Stress in University Students: Implications for Symptoms and Health Complaints and Nutritional Habits

2020 ◽  
pp. 002205742096942
Author(s):  
Fagner Luiz Pacheco Salles ◽  
Denise Maciel Ferreira ◽  
Priscila da Silva Bozi ◽  
Maria Aparecida Furtado ◽  
Joyce Favalessa Mai ◽  
...  

Health education is seen as highly difficult and challenging, due to the high level of stress observed in students. The precise assessment of perceived stress becomes important for understanding the students’ profile as well as their nutritional habits during the university period. The aim of the analysis described in this article is to assess the associations between mental health, self-reported symptoms/health complaints, and nutritional habits in health students. Our findings suggest using it in other contexts such as public universities and other university courses to assess students’ mental health status and food intake

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402097131
Author(s):  
Heloísa Monteiro Amaral-Prado ◽  
Filipy Borghi ◽  
Tânia Maron Vichi Freire Mello ◽  
Dora Maria Grassi-Kassisse

Background: The current situation due COVID-19 may cause an eminent impact on mental health because the confinement restrictions. Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze and compare perceived stress, resilience, depression symptoms and coping strategies on the members of University of Campinas, in Brazil, before and during the outbreak of the COVID-19. Methods: Volunteers over 18 years of both sexes, members of the University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil answered instruments related to perceived stress, depression, resilience and coping strategies during final exams at the end of semester during 2018 to 2020. Results: We obtained 1,135 responses (893 before COVID-19 and 242 during COVID-19). The volunteers did not show significant differences for perceived stress, depressive signs and resilience before and during the pandemic. In both periods, men exhibited lower scores for perceived stress and depression and higher scores for resilience when compared to women. Undergraduate and graduate students exhibited higher perceived stress scores, more pronounced depressive signs and lower resilience, and employees and professors presented lower scores for perceived stress, depressive signs and greater resilience. Conclusions: These first months of confinement did not directly affect the scores of perceived stress, depression and resilience, however, each subgroup adapted to the new routine by changing the coping strategy used. This study suggests the importance of monitoring the mental health of member in the university, especially in times of epidemic, in the search for policies that aim to improve the resilience of the population and seek positive and effective coping strategies within the university environment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Pinker ◽  
Susanne Brandstetter ◽  
Christina Tischer ◽  
Birgit Seelbach-Göbel ◽  
Michael Melter ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to examine the interaction of a multitude of socio-economic, lifestyle, environmental, psychosocial and birth related determinants and their effect on maternal health four weeks after delivery. Methods We used data from a German birth cohort study, the KUNO-Kids health study. Social determinants, as well as the self-rated maternal health and the physical and mental health status of mothers (indicated by means of the SF-12-questionnaire) were assessed through standardized questionnaires and personal interviews right after delivery and four weeks later. Linear regression models were calculated to determine the relationship between influencing factors and health outcomes. Results 1428 women were included in the analysis. Maternal self-rated health showed significant positive associations with breastfeeding (B (regression coefficient) 2.67; 0.86–4.48 (95% Confidence interval)) and estimating one’s child as rather healthy (B 0.27; 0.19–0.34) and negative associations with social and emotional strains (B -3.50; -5.11- -1.88), obesity (B -2.56; -4.69- -0.42), having experienced a C-section (B -1.73; -3.23- -0.23), a positive history of somatic diseases (B -2.14; -3.53- -0.74), parental stress (B -0.39; -0.66- -0.11) and education of more than ten years (B -2.42; -3.95- -0.90). Maternal physical health status showed significant negative associations with age (B -0.13; -0.25- -0.01), employment before maternity leave (B -1.90; -3.59- -0.21), social and emotional strains (B -1.50; -2.67- -0.34), parental stress (B -0.28; -0.45- -0.12), C-section (B -4.06; -5.12- -2.99), having the first child (B -2.03; -3.09- -0.97) and a history of somatic diseases (B -2.00; -2.99- -1.01). Maternal mental health status showed significant positive associations with education of more than 10 years (B 2.27; 0.98–3.56) and a high level of social support (B 1.20; 0.06–2.34), while social and emotional strains (B -4.16; -5.48- -2.84) and parental stress (B -0.70; -0.92- -0.47) were negatively associated. Conclusions We identified important protective factors for maternal health four weeks after delivery, such as a high level of social support. However, parental stress and social and emotional strains in particular seem to have a negative influence on maternal health. These findings have public health relevance.


2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
H. Y. Jaddou

Adolescent Jordanian returnees from Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War were expected to have elevated rates of psychiatric disorders, therefore their mental health status was examined. We evaluated 1376 newly enrolled students in two public universities in northern Jordan using an Arabic translation of the self-administered General Health Questionnaire. The overall rate of psychiatric disorders among the study sample was 23.3%; the rate among adolescent returnees [30.8%] was significantly higher than among other adolescents [22.4%]. Although psychiatric disorders were generally common among Jordanian adolescents, the exposure of Jordanian children in Kuwait to the Gulf War was still detrimental to their mental health status as adolescents


Author(s):  
Dipankar Saikia ◽  
Ashok K. Singh ◽  
Nirala Kumar ◽  
Bidyut P. Gogoi ◽  
Avinash Kumar

Aims: The study examined mental health status of teachers working at RPCAU, Pusa. Study Design: A Descriptive design was implemented. Place and Duration of the Study: Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar in the year 2021. Methodology: One hundred and sixty teachers from all the colleges of RPCAU were selected, by using multistage purposive sampling technique and administered with a mental health inventory (MHI) developed by Jagdish and Srivastav (1988). The statistical techniques employed were frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation (SD) and the obtained results were analyzed accordingly. Results: The findings suggested that majority of teaching community of RPCAU, Pusa were mainly having good mental health. With respect to different dimensions of mental health, it is evident that majority of teaching community of RPCAU, Pusa were having better mental health across their integration of personality (45.62%), and group-oriented attitude (43.75%), while positive self-evaluation (38.12%), perception of reality (41.87%), autonomy (55.00%) and environmental competence (38.12%) were the other dimensions in which majority of teaching community was found to possess average mental health. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the findings that teaching community of RPCAU, Pusa were primarily having good mental health. Since the teaching faculty of the University were having highest degree in their possession and being the faculty in Central University, their wages and perks being paid regularly in order to meet their relevant needs hence, better mental health are the ingredient under which they are working.


Author(s):  
Tilagavati Subramaniam

The purpose of this study is to examine the level of sense of civic responsibility among the university students and to identify specific factors that contribute to a sense of civic responsibility. A total of 1213 final year undergraduates’ students were recruited from five public universities. Since Malaysian public universities are heterogeneous in terms of student racial composition, stratified sampling was used to ensure the representativeness of the sample. A cross – sectional survey using a self- administered questionnaire was employed. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used in order to analyse the quantitative data obtained in this study. The demographic details and the level of sense of civic responsibility were analysed using descriptive statistics in order to obtain both the frequency and percentage for the data. Meanwhile, multiple regressions were used to determine the most influential factor that predicts a sense of civic responsibility among the final year undergraduate students. The results showed that respondents across the five institutions demonstrated a high level of sense of civic responsibility. Campus climate perception is the main contributor that caused the respondents to have a sense of civic responsibility. With regard to this, an institution of higher education can develop more effective strategies by stressing this factor. Student’s campus experiences have the potential to help students acquire the necessary knowledge, skill, values and motivation to take action in their communities as a thoughtful, engaged and socially responsible citizen.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1541
Author(s):  
Tiberiu Constantin Ionescu ◽  
Bogdana Ioana Fetecau ◽  
Voicu Boscaiu ◽  
Catalina Tudose

Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals are experiencing severe mental distress. Thus, during the last year, drastic changes occurred in everyday life of every human being. Following social distancing and economic insecurity, significant increases in mental health concerns (loneliness, anxiety, depression, or insomnia) have developed. The objective of this study was to explore the anxiety, perceived stress, and resilience in a population presenting at the general practitioner, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected between February and April 2021 and 440 individuals who presented to the general practitioner were evaluated. Concerning anxiety level, almost half of the respondents (49,3%, N = 217) scored above the threshold value on the anxiety scale (mild intensity 38.6%, moderate intensity 9.9%, severe intensity 0.8%). Having a low level of resilience, as well as experiencing a high level of stress, are both predictive of the occurrence of high anxiety (p < 0.001, r = −0.551 and p < 0.001, r = 0.622, respectively). Furthermore, resilience is negatively related to perceived stress (p < 0.001, r = −0.676). It is critical in the current crisis to recognize those at risk of developing mental illnesses, taking into consideration the various socioeconomic classes, as well as to maintain and improve the general public’s mental health using appropriate psychological interventions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabolcs Garbóczy ◽  
Anita Szemán-Nagy ◽  
Mohamed S. Ahmad ◽  
Szilvia Harsányi ◽  
Dorottya Ocsenás ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The findings of previous literature showed that epidemics and the associated control measures can increase the level of stress experienced by people. The phenomenon of dissociation has been investigated by many studies, and some have found that stress and trauma may play a central role in its development. In our research study, we examined the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the mental health of students at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. We investigated whether or not the changes caused by the pandemic induced stress among students and whether or not it was accompanied by an increase in the number of dissociative experiences. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Debrecen in Hungary in the period April 30 - May 15, 2020, to assess levels of perceived stress as well as dissociative experiences among students at the time of the official nationwide lockdown. Our survey has adopted the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). A total of 1320 students have enrolled in our study. Results: Our results showed a high level of perceived stress among the students during the pandemic and lockdown. This elevation was found to have a significant correlation with the emergence of dissociative experiences among both the Hungarian and the international students. Also, these changes were significant among males and females and in all subscales. Female students’ levels of dissociative experiences were higher than of male students on all subscales and in both groups (Hungarian and international). Conclusion: According to our findings, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the quarantine situation increased the perceived stress level which has played a significant role in the development of dissociative experiences among the students. The increased frequency of dissociative experiences entails a higher risk to the appearance of dissociative disorders; thus, it is crucial to create a safety net for university students who are susceptible to high levels of stress.


Author(s):  
Audrey G. Evers ◽  
Jessica A Somogie ◽  
Ian L. Wong ◽  
Jennifer D. Allen ◽  
Adolfo G. Cuevas

The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a pilot mindfulness program for student athletes by assessing mental health, mindfulness ability, and perceived stress before and after the intervention. The mindfulness program was adapted from a program developed at the University of Southern California. The four-session intervention taught the basics of mindfulness, self-care skills, and guided meditations. Participants completed surveys before and after the intervention. Mindfulness ability was assessed with the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale, mental health was assessed with a modified Short Form Health Survey, and stress was assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale. After the intervention, participants reported improvement in mindfulness ability, t(28) = −2.61, p =  .014, mental health, t(28)  =  −2.87, p =  .008, and a trending improvement in perceived stress, t(28)  =  1.86, p =  .073. A short mindfulness program may be effective for improving mental health and mindfulness ability in collegiate student athletes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_G) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Nicolò ◽  
Marco Franzino ◽  
Lorenzo Pistelli ◽  
Giulia De Sanctis ◽  
Francesca Parisi ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has a huge potential impact on patients’ life, and little is known on the long-term effect on mental health in young patients. Methods and results We included consecutive young patients (≤45 years at presentation) with ACS referred from October 2013 until March 2021 to our clinic. Physical and mental status was evaluated through the standardized SF12 scale for physical (PCS) and mental status (MCS). Depression and perceived stress were evaluated with the patient health questionnaire 9 (PHQ9) and perceived stress scale (PSS). A total of 91 patients have been included and followed for a median of 40 months. History of anxiety or depression at baseline was reported in 1.1% and 2.2%, respectively. Physical and mental health status was impaired in 65.8% and 42.1% of patients, respectively (Figure). Predictors of poorer physical health were lower LVEF, WMSI, and multivessel disease. Predictors of poorer mental health were age and nuisance bleeding during follow-up. Mild/moderate depression was reported in 47.3%. Moderate/high stress was reported in 78.1%. 37.1% patients affirmed that their career trajectory worsened after the event and 37.8% declared a reduction of income. 53.8% declared mild to significant changes in their sexual activity, while 83.8% declared to have received no advises on sexual activity from their Doctor. Conclusions In conclusion, ACS is a dramatic event with a significant impact on young patients’ life at a physical, mental, and social level. Measures of social/psychological support in the aftermath of the event merit consideration in future research.


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