Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students
Background: Prolonged university closures and social distancing-imposed measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic obliged students to at-home learning with online lectures and educational programs promoting potential social isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, and episodes of clinical decompensation.Met...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.813130/full |
| _version_ | 1818974193647091712 |
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| author | Andrea Amerio Andrea Amerio Paola Bertuccio Francesca Santi Francesca Santi Davide Bianchi Davide Bianchi Andrea Brambilla Alessandro Morganti Anna Odone Alessandra Costanza Carlo Signorelli Andrea Aguglia Andrea Aguglia Gianluca Serafini Gianluca Serafini Stefano Capolongo Mario Amore Mario Amore |
| author_facet | Andrea Amerio Andrea Amerio Paola Bertuccio Francesca Santi Francesca Santi Davide Bianchi Davide Bianchi Andrea Brambilla Alessandro Morganti Anna Odone Alessandra Costanza Carlo Signorelli Andrea Aguglia Andrea Aguglia Gianluca Serafini Gianluca Serafini Stefano Capolongo Mario Amore Mario Amore |
| author_sort | Andrea Amerio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Prolonged university closures and social distancing-imposed measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic obliged students to at-home learning with online lectures and educational programs promoting potential social isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, and episodes of clinical decompensation.Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in a university institute in Milan, Northern Italy, to assess the COVID-19 lockdown impact on the mental health of the undergraduate students. We estimated the odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) using adjusted logistic regression models.Results: Of the 8,177 students, 12.8% reported depressive symptoms, 25.6% anxiety, 8.7% insomnia, and 10.6% reported impulsive tracts, with higher proportions among females than males. Mental health symptoms were positively associated with caring for a person at home, a poor housing quality, and a worsening in working performance. Among males compared with females, a poor housing quality showed a stronger positive association with depressive symptoms and impulsivity, and a worsening in the working performance was positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. In addition, the absence of private space was positively associated with depression and anxiety, stronger among males than females.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first multidisciplinary consortium study, involving public mental health, environmental health, and architectural design. Further studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings and consequent recommendations to implement well-being interventions in pandemic conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:36:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-30b5815e7fea43c49f4ed650401bef3f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T15:36:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-30b5815e7fea43c49f4ed650401bef3f2022-12-21T19:35:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-01-011210.3389/fpsyt.2021.813130813130Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate StudentsAndrea Amerio0Andrea Amerio1Paola Bertuccio2Francesca Santi3Francesca Santi4Davide Bianchi5Davide Bianchi6Andrea Brambilla7Alessandro Morganti8Anna Odone9Alessandra Costanza10Carlo Signorelli11Andrea Aguglia12Andrea Aguglia13Gianluca Serafini14Gianluca Serafini15Stefano Capolongo16Mario Amore17Mario Amore18Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, ItalyIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, ItalyDepartment of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, ItalyIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, ItalyIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, ItalyPolitecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Design and Health Lab, Milan, ItalyPolitecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Design and Health Lab, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (UNIGE), Geneva, SwitzerlandSchool of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, ItalyIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, ItalyIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, ItalyPolitecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Design and Health Lab, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, ItalyIstituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, ItalyBackground: Prolonged university closures and social distancing-imposed measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic obliged students to at-home learning with online lectures and educational programs promoting potential social isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, and episodes of clinical decompensation.Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in a university institute in Milan, Northern Italy, to assess the COVID-19 lockdown impact on the mental health of the undergraduate students. We estimated the odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) using adjusted logistic regression models.Results: Of the 8,177 students, 12.8% reported depressive symptoms, 25.6% anxiety, 8.7% insomnia, and 10.6% reported impulsive tracts, with higher proportions among females than males. Mental health symptoms were positively associated with caring for a person at home, a poor housing quality, and a worsening in working performance. Among males compared with females, a poor housing quality showed a stronger positive association with depressive symptoms and impulsivity, and a worsening in the working performance was positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. In addition, the absence of private space was positively associated with depression and anxiety, stronger among males than females.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first multidisciplinary consortium study, involving public mental health, environmental health, and architectural design. Further studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings and consequent recommendations to implement well-being interventions in pandemic conditions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.813130/fullCOVID-19undergraduate studentmental healthgenderlockdown |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Amerio Andrea Amerio Paola Bertuccio Francesca Santi Francesca Santi Davide Bianchi Davide Bianchi Andrea Brambilla Alessandro Morganti Anna Odone Alessandra Costanza Carlo Signorelli Andrea Aguglia Andrea Aguglia Gianluca Serafini Gianluca Serafini Stefano Capolongo Mario Amore Mario Amore Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students Frontiers in Psychiatry COVID-19 undergraduate student mental health gender lockdown |
| title | Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students |
| title_full | Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students |
| title_fullStr | Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students |
| title_short | Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students |
| title_sort | gender differences in covid 19 lockdown impact on mental health of undergraduate students |
| topic | COVID-19 undergraduate student mental health gender lockdown |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.813130/full |
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