Return to Face-to-Face Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: psychopathological symptomatology and coping strategies in university students

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions and mandatory confinement have had a major impact on the social functioning and mental health of individuals, with an increase in depressive, anxiety and stress-related disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychopathological symptoms of university students when returning to face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic and to know the coping strategies used by them to overcome this moment. 188 students answered the online questionnaire consisting of questions about the emotional state, considerations about the pandemic, prevention measures and the conditions of educational institutions when returning to face-to-face classes. They also answered the Toulouse Coping Scale reduced (TCS-R) to assess coping and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) to assess psychopathological symptoms. The results showed that students had moderate levels of depression, anxiety and stress and the most used coping strategies were control, refusal and conversion. Students who belonged to some risk group had higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Difficulty concentrating in class and fear of being infected were predictors of depression, anxiety and stress.