Estrés académico y los trastornos de salud mental en estudiantes universitarios durante la pandemia del COVID-19. Revisión de Alcance

Abstract

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic, with its consequences, increased the complexity of university life and, in effect, the unleashing of stress and other disorders in students; because in this situation, students were forced to change their ways of studying, to enter the virtual world and to increase their study days in the midst of uncertainty. Objective: to review the available scientific evidence on academic stress and mental health disorders in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A systematic review was carried out using the PRISMA method, based on the search for articles in databases such as SCIENCE DIRECT, SPRINGER, TAYLOR & FRANCIS, SAGE JOURNALS, describing academic stress in university students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: a total of 22 articles were included out of 6,430 identified, which met 100% of the inclusion criteria and 70% of the methodological rigor. An accelerated and progressive increase of stress in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic was evidenced. Regarding the manifestation of stress, studies indicate that it is accompanied by feelings of loneliness and a perceived lack of control, which can indisputably affect a student's academic performance and mental health, in general. Conclusions: during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant increase in academic stress in university students, as well as in mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, which were determined by various sources of stress, including social distancing, the overload of academic activities, the level of demands from professors and uncertainty regarding economic support.