Impact of COVID-19 on the life of higher-education students in Istanbul: Relationship between social support, health-risk behaviors, and mental/academic well-being

Objective: This study aimed to draw a general picture of the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the life of higher-education students in Istanbul, with specific emphasis on the relationship between students' social support systems, health-risk behaviors, and mental/academic well-being. Methods: A total of 2583 higher-education students from different fields of study participated in an online survey gathering information from several domains, including available social networks, support-seeking attitudes, substance use patterns, physical activity levels, academic stress, academic satisfaction, and psychological well-being during the pandemic. Results: Our findings pointed to major changes in students' life circumstances and daily routines during COVID-19, including a significant decrease in contact with friends, overall substance use, and physical activity as well as high levels of depression, academic stress, and academic dissatisfaction. Depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by the loneliness score (OR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.88-2.29), female gender (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.21-2.24), frequency of binge drinking (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.06-1.86), and level of academic stress (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.1-1.19), whereas the number of people to easily borrow money from was found to be a protective factor against depression (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92-0.99). Conclusion: Our results highlight the need for higher-education institutions to take the appropriate social and mental health interventions, tailored to fit the specific requirements of the COVID-19-related measures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Depressive symptoms in higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of containment measures.

BACKGROUND: Students are a vulnerable group for the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly their mental health. This paper examined the cross-national variation in students' depressive symptoms and whether this can be related to the various protective measures implemented in response to the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: Student data stem from the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study, covering 26 countries during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Country-level data on government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were retrieved from the Oxford COVID-19 Tracker. Multilevel analyses were performed to estimate the impact of the containment and economic support measures on students' depressive symptoms (n = 78 312). RESULTS: School and workplace closures, and stay-at-home restrictions were positively related to students' depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, while none of the economic support measures significantly related to depressive symptoms. Countries' scores on the index of these containment measures explained 1.5% of the cross-national variation in students' depressive symptoms (5.3%). This containment index's effect was stable, even when controlling for the economic support index, students' characteristics, and countries' epidemiological context and economic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings raise concerns about the potential adverse effects of existing containment measures (especially the closure of schools and workplaces and stay-at-home restrictions) on students' mental health.

An analysis of the psychosocial challenges faced by the university students during COVID-19 pandemic, and the students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the disease

Introduction: The aims of the present study were 1) to identify the major psychosocial challenges faced by students of a university in Istanbul, during the initial period of the COVID-19 outbreak, 2) to assess how these interacted with their level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 and the related health measures in place. Methods: As part of an international research, a total of 2583 university students from Istanbul participated in an online survey, which included questions in several domains including their studies and daily life before and after the outbreak, their concerns and worries about the pandemic, their level of knowledge on COVID-19, their views on the policies implemented by the government and their institution, their attitude and practices toward the protective measures. Results: Majority of the students reported to suffer from financial adversities due to the outbreak. The closure of residential facilities and the cancellation of face-to-face lectures resulted in the vast majority of the students moving back to their family home. Their daily routines were largely replaced by individual home activities, and social interactions shifted almost totally to digital platforms. They also reported high levels of anxiety and worries concerning a wide range of the possible detrimental outcomes of COVID-19, which were in close association with their knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards the disease, as well as their adherence to the policy measures and their satisfaction with the policies of the government. Conclusion: These results may help policymakers in better understanding the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 on the life of university students, and to develop more comprehensive strategies to address their multifaceted struggles, as well as to improve their compliance with the health measures in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)