Long-Term Consequences of COVID Pandemic and Quarantine Restrictions on the Mental Health of LUHS International Students
Laub, Jakob Jona |
Recenzentas / Reviewer |
Santrauka Laub, Jakob Jona (2024). COVID pandemijos ir susijusių apribojimų ilgalaikės pasekmės LSMU tarptautinių studentų psichikos sveikatai. Tyrimo tikslas – ištirti COVID-19 pandemijos izoliacijos poveikį LSMU užsienio studentų psichinei sveikatai ir įvertinti ilgalaikius padarinius po pandemijos. Daugiausiai dėmesio yra skiriama psichologinei gerovei ir galimam tolimesnių psichologinių simptomų, tokių kaip stresas, depresija ir nerimas, mastui. Internetinėje apklausoje dalyvavo 69 užsienio studentai. Apie 45 % studentų WHO-5 klausimyne nurodė kenčiantys nuo depresijos simptomų, kadangi jų rezultatai buvo mažesni nei nustatytas slenkstis. DASS-21 skalės rezultatai: 50 % apklaustų studentų nurodė kenčiantys nuo depresijos, 50 % - nuo nerimo, o 31 % nurodė streso simptomus. Didelis psichikos sutrikimų lygis, kurį patyrė COVID pandemijos metu daugelis apklaustų studentų, išliko ir pasibaigus pandemijai.
Summary Laub, Jakob Jona (2024). Long-term consequences of COVID pandemic and quarantine restrictions on the mental health of LUHS international students. The spread of the novel coronavirus disease led to a pandemic, which posed a global health threat, and caused widespread disruption to daily life with far-reaching consequences beyond the end of the pandemic. The study aims to investigate the effects of the isolation of international students at LUHS during the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health and to evaluate the long-term effects beyond the pandemic. The focus is on the perceived psychological well-being and the possible extent of psychological symptoms such as stress, depression, and anxiety. The surveyed students were categorized into two groups by the place of stay (Kaunas/home country) during the pandemic. To evaluate the long-term effects on the mental health of the students, the questionnaire was given for two points in time (retrospective during the pandemic/present). 69 international students participated in an online survey that evaluated their well-being using the WHO-5 well-being index, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress using DASS-21 (Depressive, Anxiety, Stress scale-21). The results of the present study fit into the picture of worldwide research on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions on mental health. A large proportion of the LUHS international students surveyed reported reduced well-being and psychological symptoms. Around 45% of the students indicate suffering from depressive symptoms in the WHO-5 with a score below the specified threshold. The results of the DASS-21 scale also show significant psychological symptoms: Looking at the two measurement time points together, 50% of the students surveyed indicate suffering from depression, and 50% from anxiety with 'moderate', 'severe', and 'extremely severe' symptoms, and 31% report corresponding stress symptoms. No statistically significant differences were found between the group of respondents who predominantly stayed in Kaunas during the pandemic and those who were mainly in their home countries, and no differences were found between the two measurement points. The high level of mental impairment experienced by many of the students surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic continued after the end of the pandemic.