COVID-19: PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 epidemic brings, worldwide, situations of strong crises in public health and has numerous consequences for human life, covering biological, psychological, economic and social aspects. With the impact of social distancing, isolation and quarantine measures, related to the emergency of care, several psychological conflicts arise in the lives of university students. They had to adapt to the new academic routine, implemented by universities, in order to preserve their health and stop the crisis created by the phenomenon. OBJECTIVE: The present work sought to identify and describe the psychological impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on university students and coping strategies. METHODOLOGY: Bibliographic and exploratory research was used. The materials used were scientific articles, dissertations, theses and monographs, available in databases from Scielo, Pepsic, BVSaude, PubMed, journals published between 2015 and 2021. RESULTS: The results suggest that there are several issues generated in the Covid-19 epidemic that affected university students and triggered symptoms of a psychological nature, disorders, syndromes and emotional and structural imbalance. The existence of several psychological impacts and consequences was evidenced, such as negative feelings, difficulty in facing social isolation, uncertainties about the future, fear, fear of contracting the disease, anxiety, loneliness and anguish, depression, worry and stress, discouragement, boredom, sadness, anger, frustration, loss and grief, difficulty adapting. Losses of loved ones, friends and colleagues are present situations. The concerns relate to the end of the pandemic, their academic training and, whether they will be able to complete their courses in person, whether they will fulfill the internship workload, etc. CONCLUSION: It is evident that universities were closed, bringing sudden changes in teaching-learning methods and in the routine of university students. Emotional, affective and behavioral conflicts that impact the health and biopsychosocial well-being of academics are present and require attention in the emergency of mental health care. The coping and care strategies developed by health professionals, including psychology, are important, as they aim to minimize negative impacts, alleviate psychological symptoms and promote emotional resilience as forms of prevention in reducing stress, anxiety and insecurity present in the environment. everyday life of university students.