Impacts of COVID-19 on mental health in Paraguayan university students

Abstract

Mental health disorders have a significant impact on the quality of life of individuals, and the COVID-19 pandemic increased these problems. The aim of this study was to analyze the factors of greater risk associated with the symptomatology of mental health disorders in students of public and private universities as an impact of COVID-19. It is a quantitative study of non-experimental and cross-sectional design. The DASS-21 was administered to a sample of 833 students from universities in Paraguay, with a mean age of 22.7 years. An ordinal logistic regression was used for data analysis. The results showed that the risk factors associated with depression, anxiety and/or stress were: having a family history, being a medical student, being a woman and being younger. Based on these findings, it is considered necessary to promote mental health and early intervention of university students, through psychological and/or psychiatric support, specifically in female students and medical students.