Mental health and coping strategies in graduate students in the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: to verify the relation of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms with coping strategies in graduate students in the context of the new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). METHOD: an electronic cross-sectional and correlational survey was conducted with 331 Brazilian graduate students, aged 20-64 years old, who answered an online form containing a sociodemographic data questionnaire, a coping strategies scale, and the DASS-21 scale. Descriptive analysis, Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman's correlation were performed. RESULTS: the main results indicated that maintaining work and study routines, as well as a religious practice, is correlated with lower scores of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, as well as with coping strategies that can act as protective factors. CONCLUSION: the new coronavirus pandemic has strained public health and increased the need for studies aimed at understanding the impact of the event on the mental health of the population. It is suggested that employment and religiousness should be considered in interventions with graduate students.

Mental health and coping strategies in graduate students in the COVID-19 pandemic Salud mental y estrategias de afrontamiento en estudiantes de postgrado durante la pandemia de COVID-19 Saúde mental e estratégias de coping em pós-graduandos na pandemia da COVID-19

Objective: to verify the relation of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms with coping strategies in graduate students in the context of the new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Method: an electronic cross-sectional and correlational survey was conducted with 331 Brazilian graduate students, aged 20-64 years old, who answered an online form containing a sociodemographic data questionnaire, a coping strategies scale, and the DASS-21 scale. Descriptive analysis, Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman’s correlation were performed. Results: the main results indicated that maintaining work and study routines, as well as a religious practice, is correlated with lower scores of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, as well as with coping strategies that can act as protective factors. Conclusion: the new coronavirus pandemic has strained public health and increased the need for studies aimed at understanding the impact of the event on the mental health of the population. It is suggested that employment and religiousness should be considered in interventions with graduate students.

[Impact of social distancing on reports of violence against children and adolescents in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil]. / Impacto do distanciamento social nas notificações de violência contra crianças e adolescentes no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.

This study aimed to analyze the rates of reports of violence against children and adolescents in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 2015 to 2020, and the changes in trends by period due to the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). This is an ecological time series study with secondary data obtained from the Bi Saúde Portal in the panel on Interpersonal Violence and Suicide. The study collected reports on violence in individuals 0 to 19 years of age in the months of March and April each year, stratified by sex, age bracket, race/color, and type of violence. Prais-Winsten regression was used to analyze the time trend. Of the 7,718 reports analyzed, there was a drop of 54% in the year 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The analysis of the trend until 2019 indicated an increase in the reporting rates (2.04, 95%CI: 1.01; 3.07, p = 0.002), but with the inclusion of the year 2020 in the time series, the direction of the trends in reporting rates was reversed to negative, losing statistical significance (-0.39, 95%CI: -1.16; 2.14, p = 0.632). The study concludes that social distancing due to the pandemic reduced the reporting rates of violence against children and adolescents due to underreporting, thus requiring strategies to improve the identification of suspected cases of violence during the pandemic. This highlights the need for inter-sector planning and rapid and specific actions (health, social protection, justice, and public security) in order to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents.

O objetivo do estudo foi analisar as taxas de notificações de violência infanto-juvenil no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, de 2015 a 2020 e as alterações em suas tendências por períodos devido à pandemia do novo coronavírus (COVID-19). É um estudo ecológico de séries temporais com dados secundários obtidos pelo Portal Bi Saúde no painel de Violência Interpessoal/Suicídio. Foram coletadas as notificações de violência em indivíduos de 0 a 19 anos, nos meses de março e abril de cada ano, estratificadas por sexo, faixa etária, raça/cor e tipo de violência. Utilizou-se a regressão de Prais-Winsten para a análise de tendência temporal. Das 7.718 notificações analisadas, observou-se uma queda de 54% no ano de 2020 comparado com o mesmo período em 2019. A análise de tendência até 2019 indicou aumento nas taxas de notificações (2,04, IC95%: 1,01; 3,07, p = 0,002), porém, com a inclusão do ano de 2020 à série temporal, o direcionamento na tendência das taxas de notificações inverteu-se para negativo, perdendo a significância estatística (-0,39, IC95%: -1,16; 2,14, p = 0,632). Conclui-se que o distanciamento social devido à pandemia reduziu as taxas de notificações de violência contra crianças e adolescentes devido à subnotificação, exigindo estratégias que melhorem a identificação dos casos suspeitos de violência durante a pandemia. Ressalta-se a necessidade de planejamento e ações intersetoriais (como saúde, proteção social, justiça e segurança pública) rápidas e específicas com o objetivo da garantia dos direitos das crianças e dos adolescentes.

El objetivo del estudio fue analizar las tasas de notificaciones de violencia infanto-juvenil, en el estado de Río Grande do Sul, Brasil, de 2015 a 2020, y las alteraciones en sus tendencias por períodos, debido a la pandemia del nuevo coronavirus (COVID-19). Es un estudio ecológico de series temporales con datos secundarios, obtenidos mediante el Portal Bi Saúde, en la sección de Violencia Interpersonal/Suicidio. Se recogieron las notificaciones de violencia en individuos de 0 a 19 años, durante los meses de marzo y abril de cada año, estratificadas por sexo, franja de edad, raza/color y tipo de violencia. Se utilizó la regresión de Prais-Winsten para el análisis de tendencia temporal. De las 7.718 notificaciones analizadas, se observó una caída de un 54% en el año 2020, comparado con el mismo período en 2019. El análisis de tendencia hasta 2019 indicó un aumento en las tasas de notificaciones (2,04, IC95%: 1,01; 3,07, p = 0,002), no obstante, con la inclusión del año de 2020 en la serie temporal, la dirección en la tendencia de las tasas de notificaciones se invirtió en negativo, perdiendo la significación estadística (-0,39, IC95%: -1,16; 2,14, p = 0,632). Se concluye que el confinamiento social, debido a la pandemia, redujo las tasas de notificaciones de violencia contra niños y adolescentes, a causa de la subnotificación, lo que exige estrategias que mejoren la identificación de los casos sospechosos de violencia durante la pandemia. Se resalta la necesidad de planificación y acciones intersectoriales como: salud, protección social, justicia y seguridad pública, rápidas y específicas, con el objetivo de garantizar los derechos de los niños y adolescentes.

Impact of social distancing on reports of violence against children and adolescents in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

This study aimed to analyze the rates of reports of violence against children and adolescents in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 2015 to 2020, and the changes in trends by period due to the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). This is an ecological time series study with secondary data obtained from the Bi Saúde Portal in the panel on Interpersonal Violence and Suicide. The study collected reports on violence in individuals 0 to 19 years of age in the months of March and April each year, stratified by sex, age bracket, race/color, and type of violence. Prais-Winsten regression was used to analyze the time trend. Of the 7,718 reports analyzed, there was a drop of 54% in the year 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The analysis of the trend until 2019 indicated an increase in the reporting rates (2.04, 95%CI: 1.01;3.07, p = 0.002), but with the inclusion of the year 2020 in the time series, the direction of the trends in reporting rates was reversed to negative, losing statistical significance (-0.39, 95%CI: -1.16;2.14, p = 0.632). The study concludes that social distancing due to the pandemic reduced the reporting rates of violence against children and adolescents due to underreporting, thus requiring strategies to improve the identification of suspected cases of violence during the pandemic. This highlights the need for inter-sector planning and rapid and specific actions (health, social protection, justice, and public security) in order to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents.