E. Nikolaev, Russian Federation
Ulianov Chuvash State University Social and Clinical PsychologyPresenter of 5 Presentations
EPP0014 - Prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 related anxiety among university students
ABSTRACT
Introduction
COVID-19 is a disease with insufficiently studied diagnosis, therapy, and prevention that causes anxiety disorders in population.
Objectives
To evaluate prevalence and correlates of COVID-19-related anxiety in university students during the period of their distant learning due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
The on-line survey of May 2020 covered 327 Russian university students aged 17-40. The questions concerned evaluation of threats, risks and acute problems faced by the students and their closest people in the situation of COVID-19 spread. We determined the anxiety level of the students by the degree of their concern about high risk of COVID-19 infection.
Results
We established that 17.1% of the students had maximal level of COVID-19-related anxiety that correlated with older age (r=.13), better academic performance (r=.12), expectation of higher COVID-19-related threat to their life (r=.57), to the closest people’s health (r=.44), to the aged people’s lives (r=.16). It correlated with a more serious approach to evaluating the COVID-19-related situation and dangers in the world (r=.19), in the country (r=.24), and in the region of their residence (r=.37). Students with a high anxiety level often saw in pandemic a threat to their way of life (r=.12), material wellbeing (r=.12), and plans for the future (r=.11). They more strictly obeyed the restrictions (r=.13) and they did not exclude a recurrence of COVID-19 type pandemics in the future (r=.17).
Conclusions
COVID-19 related anxiety is present in every sixth student and it correlates with older age and better academic performance. These students may have a high risk for depressive disorders.
EPP0313 - Undergraduate students’ attitudes to COVID-19 during the lockdown period: hierarchy of psychological factors
ABSTRACT
Introduction
The effect of COVID-19 on different age groups is not the same. It is of great interest to see how specifically students, who are regarded as a less susceptible group, relate to COVID-19 during the period of government imposed lockdown.
Objectives
To determine the factorial structure of the revealed university students’ attitudes to COVID-19 during the period of lockdown and distance learning.
Methods
We questioned online 127 male and 200 female Russian universities students during their distance learning. We used a 17-point Attitude towards COVID-19 Questionnaire based on the results of the half-structured interview with the students. We subjected the received data to a factor analysis.
Results
With the principal components method, we obtained a five-factor structure of the questionnaire under study with the total variance of 65.2%. According to the content of the questions, we defined these factors in the following way: factor of COVID-19 danger to the society (with variance – 20.2%); factor of ruined personal life plans (14.0%); factor of COVID-19 threat to personal health and life (13.9%); factor of disbelief in COVID-19 dangers (9.1%) and factor of expecting new pandemics (8.0%). Here is the hierarchy of the mean numbers of students who had maximal points in each of the factors mentioned: 66.6%; 59.3%; 24.4%; 23.9% and 23.2%.
Conclusions
The students’ attitudes to COVID-19 depended on different tendencies during the lockdown period. The prevailing perception of COVID-19 as a real threat to health and life went together with the undervaluation of its significance and a shift to everyday life issues.
EPP0486 - Perception and preventive actions against COVID-19 in domestic and international students
ABSTRACT
Introduction
Young people, regarded as less susceptible to the virus, may differently perceive the situation associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Objectives
To determine the differences in perception of COVID-19 and preventive actions taken against it by domestic and international university students under the spreading threat of COVID-19 illness.
Methods
During the outbreak of COVID-19, 224 domestic and 312 international students of Russian universities responded via on-line to the self-constructed Attitude towards COVID-19 Questionnaire.
Results
The showings of the international students were surely higher than those of domestic students in seriousness of their evaluation of the COVID-19-related situation in the world (p=.0006), in the country (p=.0096), and in the region (p=.0390); in the evaluation of the virus-related risks for aged and chronic patients (p=.0075), in adequacy of measures taken by the government against COVID-19 (p=.0114), in degree of disturbing their customary way of life (p=.0363), and ruining their plans for the future (p=.0161). The international students, who live mostly not at their homes and have a higher stress level (p=.0227), showed higher interest to COVID-19-related news (p=.0001), they were stricter in taking preventive measures: in wearing a mask, washing hands, keeping the distance in order to reduce the risk of the virus infection (p=.0009).
Conclusions
During the COVID-19 outbreak, both the international and domestic students are calm in perceiving the threat to their health and life. At the same time, with a higher stress level, the international students are more watchful concerning the situation of COVID-19 spread, and they more strictly obey the restrictive measures.
EPP0968 - Time perspective and psychological hardiness mediate a COVID-19 related life threat
ABSTRACT
Introduction
Unpredictable risks of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality make people suffer from threats and fears. Are there any psychological personality traits that correlate with a decrement in such feelings?
Objectives
To specify the relationship between psychological characteristics of time perspective, hardiness and COVID-19-related life threat.
Methods
We used Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, Maddi Hardiness Scale and a 17-point Attitude towards COVID-19 Questionnaire to question 327 Russian university students on social networks. The survey was carried out in the second half of May 2020 in the period of increasing COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates. The mean age of the respondents was 21.24±2.84; most of them were females (61.16%).
Results
The survey showed that every fifth respondent had a high level of COVID-19-related life threat (21.10 %). At the same time, every tenth of the respondents (10.09%) saw no threat to their life in the situation of a fast spreading dangerous novel coronavirus infection. According to the correlation analysis, decrement in feeling personal threat related to the spread of COVID-19 was directly associated (p<0.05) with low indicators on the scales of Negative Past (r=0.16), Hedonistic Present (r=0.13) and Fatalistic Present (r=0.17). Certain inverse relation was found between the level of COVID-19 related life threat and such indicators as psychological hardiness – commitment (r=-0.16), and challenge (r=-0.23).
Conclusions
Dispositional orientation to the present and future, as well as psychological characteristics of hardiness may mediate COVID-19 related life threat; therefore, these may be used as a possible basis for preventing stress and mental disorders in population.
EPP1395 - Suicidal tendencies in university students during the COVID-19 outbreak
ABSTRACT
Introduction
Suicidogenic effects COVID-19 pandemic are expected to reveal themselves not immediately, but within a longer period.
Objectives
To evaluate the prevalence of suicidal tendencies in university students during the COVID-19 outbreak and specify the psychosocial characteristics of the students with a low anti-suicidal barrier to mitigate their suicide risks.
Methods
The research was done via an on-line survey, which covered 536 students of both sexes (aged 21.46±2.95), who studied in Russian universities and who filled in a structured questionnaire during their distance learning due to COVID-19 outbreak.
Results
We revealed that 11.38% of the respondents (57.47% of whom are males) with a low anti-suicidal barrier showed suicidal tendencies by allowing the possibility of committing a suicide in a certain situation. Among them were more Russian students than international ones (p=.0272). They also certainly exceeded the students with the developed anti-suicidal barrier in taking alcohol (p=.0126), in underestimating their own health (p=.0053), in expressing happiness (p=.0001), and in degree of religious belief (p=.0001). They perceived the situation associated with the COVID-19 outbreak with a more strongly manifested anxiety due to the fear of their own infection with coronavirus (p=0.0347). At the same time, they acted less responsibly in following personal restrictive measures aimed to reduce the risk of infection (p=.0002).
Conclusions
Students with suicidal tendencies during the COVID-19 outbreak present a risk group in COVID-19 spread and infection. The pandemic can intensify anti-vital sufferings and enhance the risk of committing suicide in individuals with suicidal tendencies, which should be taken into account in prevention programs.