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Research Project
Center for Health Technology and Services Research
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The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the mental health of Portuguese university students
Publication . Sequeira, Carlos; Araújo, Odete; Lourenço, Tânia; Freitas, Otília; Carvalho, José Carlos; Costa, Patrício
Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disruptive effect on daily routines,
especially for university students. This study aimed to compare pre-pandemic domains of students’
mental health during the pandemic lockdown. One cross-sectional study was conducted in two
waves with academic students from 20 Portuguese universities, in March 2020 before the COVID 19 pandemic (n = 3579) and 2 months after the first lockdown in May 2020 (n = 1228). The
Positive Mental Health Questionnaire (PMHQ), the Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire, the
Mental Health-promoting knowledge, and the Psychological Vulnerability Scale were used.
Statistical analyses were performed by bivariate associations and multiple linear regression models.
Students were mostly women (79%), with an average age of 23.2 years (SD = 6.6), displaced from
their family environment (43%), out-of-home (43%), and scholarship holders (37%). Higher scores
found in the PVS were associated with decreased PMHQ in both moments (P < 0.01). These cross sectional studies showed a slight variation in the mental health variables studied in the period
before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Being a woman, younger, out-of-home, and having a
scholarship (P < 0.01) seem to increase susceptibility to mental health variation before and during
the pandemic. Universities should develop strategies that promote students’ mental health.
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Funding agency
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Funding programme
6817 - DCRRNI ID
Funding Award Number
UIDB/04255/2020