Mood and Mental Health of Students from a Peruvian University During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic can alter the moods and mental health of university students, making it difficult for them to achieve their goals and purposes. Objective: To describe the moods and mental health of students from a Peruvian university in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out in a Peruvian university, during March and May 2020. With the participation of 302 university students, socio-educational data were collected and the Mood Assessment Scale was used, together with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The study variables were described and it was considered to evaluate differences. Results: 58.6% of the participants were female. Regarding their marital status, 76.8% were single, while 71.2% were Catholic. 48.3% presented an anxious mood;33.1%, hostile and 38.5%, depressed. In addition, 50.7% presented poor mental health;52.6%, general dysphoria and 74.8%, social dysfunction. Conclusions: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a high prevalence of negative moods and mental health problems. These findings demonstrate the situation of social vulnerability, which influences the health and life projects of university students. It is necessary to promote group actions that contribute to the well-being of the student population. © 2021, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.

Consciential intelligence in peruvian adults, in times of covid-19 pandemic

Introduction: Consciential Intelligence or Spiritual Intelligence, a scientifically studied construct, more than 20 years ago, regains importance in the current times of crisis, due to its direct relationship with health, happiness, performance and humanization of health institutions and society in general. Objective: To identify the level of conscientious intelligence, possible relationships with socio-demographic, religious and spiritual variables and their variation from a measurement carried out before the pandemic. Methods: Cross-sectional study, conducted in the Ica region of Peru during June to August 2020. 474 adults participated, answering a questionnaire with sociodemographic, religious and spiritual variables. The Consciential Intelligence was evaluated with a scale of 13 items. Relative frequencies, means and standard deviations, t-Student tests, ANOVA and Post Hoc tests were calculated. Results: Of the participants 35.02% presented an unhealthy level of Consciential Intelligence;55.49% for improvement and 9.49% healthy. Those who consider themselves religious, spiritual, participate in religious activities, practice daily prayer or meditation and older adults score higher on the scale, reaching statistical significance (p<0.001). The overall scale score was lower before the pandemic (lower level) than during the pandemic (middle/lower level), with statistical differences (p=0.029). Conclusions: The study population maintains lower levels of Conscious Intelligence;there are related factors that contribute to its development. This modality of intelligence is presented as an alternative to humanize society and recover human values;therefore, it is necessary to cultivate and develop it, so that it can fully flourish. © 2021, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.