Influencias del confinamiento por COVID-19 sobre la salud mental en estudiantes de grado de terapia ocupacional

Abstract

Introduction: The university years are a crucial period of development for the transition from adolescence to adulthood, which is why there is a growing concern for the mental health of students. COVID-19 places this population in a vulnerable situation, with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, or stress. Objective: Although studies on the effects of the pandemic and its consequences on mental health are published exponentially, few studies focus on students in health sciences. Therefore, we aimed the approach of these issues regarding undergraduates from the Degree of Occupational Therapy to explore the effects of the national lockdown on mental health. Method: Based on the hypothesis that confinement may have made university students vulnerable, a quantitative longitudinal study was conducted with students of the Occupational Therapy Degree based on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) and Beck's Scale of Hopelessness (BSH). Results: The results showed an improvement in the different scales between 2019 and 2020, with statistically significant relationships between the state of confinement and a reduction in the risk of depression at its end. Conclusions: This relationship suggests doubts about the temporality and measurement of the results since it is possible that confinement had positive aspects in some of the dimensions of mental health, given its relationship with the lack of social isolation in many cases, the establishment of routines and the return to face-to-face teaching.