Psychological determinants and their relationship with activities carried out by health sciences students during confinement by COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Objectives: During lockdown by COVID-19, some individuals engaged in behaviours generating a greater sense of positivity and control. The objective was to identify relationships between affect, coping strategies, and resilience with task management, distress caused by lockdown, and difficulty observing public health restrictions. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study (May 2020) was carried out in the Complutense University of Madrid. The sample consisted of 50 first-year Health Sciences students, wich were assessed during lockdown by COVID19. The followins scales were used the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory, the ConnorDavidson Resilience Scale, and the Escala de Gestion de Actividades en Situacion de Confinamiento (Activity Management during Lockdown Scale). Results: Thirty-five students (70%) displayed a score of (3)6 on the scale measuring the distress caused by the public health restrictions. Associations with r values of =0.5 were distress caused by the pandemic and positive affect (r=0.512);seeking new hobbies and seeking social support (r=0.567);seeking new hobbies and humour (r=0.56);reading and active problem-focused coping (r=0.5). Conclusions: Positive affect is influenced by behaviours linked to helping neighbours. Strategies allowing subjects to occupy their time more constructively were active problem-focused coping, seeking psychosocial support, and acceptance and personal growth. The factors related to negative affect were alcohol consumption and/or drug use, humour.