COVID-19 and social isolation: implications for undergraduate nursing students’ mental health

• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Eliany Nazaré
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Vasconcelos, Maristela Inês Osawa, de Almeida, Paulo Cesar, Pereira, Paulo Jorge de Almeida, Ximenes Neto, Francisco Rosemiro Guimarães, Aragão, Joyce Mazza Nunes, Costa, Maria Suely Alves
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Eletrônica de Enfermagem
• Texto Completo: https://revistas.ufg.br/fen/article/view/74440

Objective: to assess the repercussions of COVID-19 and social isolation during the pandemic on undergraduate nursing students’ mental health. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study, carried out in Ceará, Brazil, with 347 students. Data were collected through a questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic data and information on aspects related to the pandemic, in addition to the Mental Health Inventory-38 (MHI-38). Results: the amount of 51.9% of students continued studying through remote learning activities and online assessments, and 62.3% accessed the internet essentially via cell phones. For 76.9% of students, the greatest concern was the death of a family member/ friend. As for students’ mental health, the MHI-38 scores in the Psychological Well-Being dimension were on average 47.9 (± 16.8), and in the Psychological Distress dimension, 52.8 (± 18.5). The mean MHI-38’s overall score was 51.0 (± 16.9), with differences between sexes (p = 0.039). Conclusion: students had their mental health affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation, with a greater impact on women. Thus, educational institutions need to develop strategies to monitor and promote this population’s mental health when returning to school in the post-pandemic period.