Our study showed high levels of severe anxiety and moderate/ severe depression in healthcare students during the isolation due to COVID-19 pandemic. The factors associated with moderate/severe anxiety were the undergraduate course (nursing, pharmacy, phonoaudiology and medicine) and period of the course. Moderate and severe depression were associated with physical symptoms, excessive concern, compromised social relationships, and dissatisfaction with remote education reported by the students.
We found very high levels of severe anxiety (74%) and moderate/severe depression (37%) in healthcare students during the pandemic. These values are higher than found in a Chinese study with the general population (16.5% reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms, 28.8% reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, and 8.1% reported moderate to severe stress levels). (Wang C et al.,2020) However, our results are in agreement with one study conducted in Portugal that compared the levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among students and showed a significant increase in psychological distress during the pandemic (Maia BR, Dias PC,2020). Other study conducted in France also showed high rates of psychological impairment (16.1% of university students had severe depression, 74.4% had moderate and severe depression, and 11.4% had suicidal ideation), that was associated with the fact that in Europe the beginning restrictions due to the pandemic began earlier. (Wathelet M et al.,2020)
The factors associated with moderate and severe anxiety were the healthcare course type and the period of the course in the health area. We observed that medical school, phonoaudiology, and pharmacy students had higher levels of anxiety. In addition, students in recent years had higher levels of anxiety, probably because these students needed to have contact with patients due to the practical courses. (Marcén-Román, Y. et al,2021) In agreement with our results, one Spanish study was conducted one year after the ongoing pandemic to evaluate stress among 252 students in healthcare courses, and also showed higher levels of psychological impairment (showed 13.1% stress, 71.4% anxiety, and 81% depression). (Halperin, S. J. et al.,2021) In addition, a cross-sectional American study evaluated 1,428 students from 40 medical schools, 30.6% reported experiencing anxiety symptoms, and 24.3% reported depressive symptoms. These values are lower than found in our study, but they are much higher levels than similar studies conducted in regular periods (without the pandemic). They suggested that professors and coordinators of medical courses should be more attentive and sensitive to the mental health of students during the COVID-19 pandemic because they have a higher potential risk for psychological stress. (Torales J. et al.,2020; Pacheco JP et al.,2017)
The factors associated with moderate and severe depression were the course type and the period of the course in the healthcare area. Several studies confirm the higher prevalence of depression in women, which has been observed in the general population, in university students (Auerbach RP et al., 2018; Weiss P, Murdoch DR.,2020), and particularly in medical students (Ochnik D et al.,2021), which is manifested in pre-pandemic studies and is confirmed during the pandemic by COVID-19. (Wathelet M et al.,2020) A more comprehensive study included 2,349 students from 9 different countries (Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine) and evaluated risk factors for depression and anxiety seeking to relate them with sociodemographic factors in addition to exposure to COVID-19 and impact on student well-being. The authors emphasize that gender was not related to risk factors for anxiety and depression in all countries evaluated. The results obtained showed varied predictors of mental health in the cultural, political, and economic situation of each location, highlighting the importance of differentiated psychological intervention and support programs. (Amaral E, Polydoro SAJ, Carvalho MAAG,2020)
The perception of the covid with physical symptoms, such as the information transmitted by the various media, as well as the social distancing with confinement measures, may have contributed to the increase in mean scores. The monitoring of the situation at the global level and the increase in cases positive for COVID-19 seem to have generated levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among college students, even though we know that this would not be a group of higher risk in terms of lethality. (Domínguez-González AD et al.,2022) In our results, 77.8% of the students answered that they were afraid of contracting the disease and transmitting it to the people they love, in agreement with the data in the literature. Similarly, it cannot be assumed that the increase in anxiety, depression, and stress levels is due only to the pandemic. This may be due to several other factors (such as personality and perceived social support). Nevertheless, this study is a starting point for future research in this area.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Campinas (Unicamp) was the first Brazilian public university to decree the suspension of face-to-face activities and change to emergency education activities. The measure was accompanied by a series of institutional actions, including the main actions, the access of students to remote activities in this period, and the updating of teacher training for the use of digital resources in distance education. In the healthcare area, gradual plans for resuming activities were elaborated, together with Health and Education Policies at the State and Federal levels. This plan aimed at conducting practical modules, considered essential for both the training of undergraduate and graduate students and the service to the population offered by the different courses of the University. (Zhang Y, Ma ZF. ,2020)
Dissatisfaction with remote education was associated with twice the odds of having moderate or severe depression. Among the many challenges of this period of digital teaching, we cannot fail to highlight the primary role of the University and the professors and the responsibility of supporting them in the difficulties. Our results reflect this because when questioned about losses in their training due to the pandemic, the vast majority of students agree that they had losses. The same occurred about the remote modality; half of our students reported having some degree of difficulty following, which led them to feel some degree of dissatisfaction. In addition, during the pandemic, it was essential to support the development of digital competencies by the faculty. (Zhang Y, Ma ZF. ,2020). With this in mind, we can understand that the difficulties encountered and reported by our students are all the challenges of that moment.
The strengths of our study were the use of anxiety and depression validated questionnaires. However, as a limitation of the study, we can highlight the low rate of response to the invitation to participate in the study. The reason for the low response may be the fact that during this period, the students received numerous invitations to participate in studies of various scopes. Another limitation is the fact that we did not compare these data with the pre-pandemic period. Due to the results obtained, with high levels of anxiety and moderate and severe depression, new studies with a larger number of students and with an assessment of the mental health of students in the health area are needed.
The emerging mental health problems related to COVID-19 infection worldwide can evolve into lasting health problems, isolation, and stigma. Global health measures should be employed to address psychosocial stressors, particularly those related to the use of isolation/quarantine, fear, and vulnerability among the general population. In addition to these issues, it will be essential to support the development of digital skills for faculty and students, and together, we think about strategies to minimize losses.
In summary, this study shows by its results the need to be aware of the psychological effects of this pandemic on our students and that we need to think about future strategies for the mental health of these professionals.