Psychological Effects of the Pandemic on Turkish University Students During the Period of Returning to Universities

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic may have been psychologically stressful for everyone who was affected by it, but people who are predisposed to mental health problems may have felt it more intensely than others. Students at universities are one of these vulnerable populations. The uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 had a negative psychological impact on them, but this effect became more complex in the process of restarting education after a long break. The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychological situation of Turkish university students during the period when face-to-face education began to reappear as a result of the COVID-19 precautions being reduced. For this aim, the psychological situation of 224 Turkish students aged 17–25 was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Scale (STAT), Connor Davidson-Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). In addition, the students were asked about their life satisfaction, chronic illness, duration of physical activity, screen time, and needs of psychological support. The results revealed that during this period, students reported low levels of exercise and physical activity time, increased time spent in front of a screen, low life satisfaction, higher rates of receiving and needing psychological support, and higher levels of negative affect, depression, anxiety, and brief symptoms. Furthermore, the results showed that positive affect and resilience are protective factors for psychological health. The findings of the study highlighted the critical role of psychological support services at universities in promoting and preserving students' mental health.