Impacts of COVID-19 on college students' mental health when returning to classes in presential mode

Abstract

The challenges imposed by the pandemic of COVID-19 in all social levels have forced a rapid adaptation to a socially distanced model and, at the same time, has contributed to the worsening of the mental health of all actors involved. When observed the daily life of higher education students, who have had their academic activities migrated to a virtual learning model, but who face their other professional and family activities without the same distance, is noticed a worsening of their mental state, with a higher occurrence of symptoms such as stress, anxiety and depression. The present study aims to analyze how these students find themselves, identifying the main symptoms perceived, especially at a time when the gradual return to academic activities in a face-to-face manner is being discussed. For this study, the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) scale, proposed by Dos Anjos and Santos (2020), was used, which measures the emotional state before and after the analyzed event. With the evidence of increased symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, perceived here, this study aims to contribute to entire academic community could have indicators of which signs may manifest themselves more frequently and, thus, offer immediate support for those who manifest them, in an assertive and timely manner, improving the signs of protection and well-being.