Psychosocial aspects experienced by international university students during the Covid-19 pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/8fz6vp54Keywords:
COVID-19, Mental Health, Students, Psychosocial Impact, International MigrationAbstract
Objective: To analyze the psychosocial aspects experienced by international university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An exploratory quantitative study was conducted in 2022 with 117 international students from the University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony. Data were collected in person using a structured questionnaire based on the SRQ-20 and adapted to the pandemic context. Analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21 with descriptive statistics and association tests (p<0.05). Results: High prevalence of anxiety (57.3%), sleep disturbances (60.7%), fear of infection (72.6%), and loneliness (62.3%) was identified. The pandemic affected the socioeconomic conditions of 80.3% of the participants and the academic performance of 79.5%. Additionally, 65.2% reported needing psychological support, but only 19.4% accessed such services. Conclusion: The pandemic intensified emotional, social, and economic vulnerabilities among international students, highlighting the need for institutional strategies to enhance psychosocial support, mental health promotion, and assistance networks.
Downloads
References
Araújo, F. J. O., Lima, L. S. A., Cidade, P. I. M., Nobre, C. B., & Neto, M. L. R. (2020). Impact of SARS-CoV-2 and its reverberation in global higher education and mental health. Psychiatry Research, 288, 112977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112977
Bezerra, C. B., Saintrain, M. V. L., Braga, D. R. A., Santos, F. S., Lima, A. O. P., Brito, E. H. S., & Pontes, C. B. (2020). Impacto psicossocial do isolamento durante pandemia de COVID-19 na população brasileira: Análise transversal preliminar. Saúde e Sociedade, 29(4), e200412. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902020200412
Brasil. (2010). Lei nº 12.289, de 20 de julho de 2010. https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2010/lei/l12289.htm
Brasil. (2012). Resolução nº 466, de 12 de dezembro de 2012. https://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/saudelegis/cns/2013/res0466_12_12_2012.html
Bresolin, J. Z., Dalmolin, G. L., Vasconcellos, S. J. L., Barlem, E. L. D., Andolhe, R., & Magnago, T. S. B. S. (2020). Sintomas depressivos em estudantes universitários da área da saúde. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 28, e3239. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.3210.3239
Burzynska, K., & Contreras, G. (2020). Gendered effects of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet, 395(10242), 1968. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31377-5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Social distancing: Keep a safe distance to slow the spread. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/90522
Cheng, Z. J., & Shan, J. (2020). 2019 novel coronavirus: Where we are and what we know. Infection, 48, 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-020-01401-y
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. (2020). Recomendações e orientações em saúde mental e atenção psicossocial na COVID-19. Fiocruz.
Garcia, T., Morais, I., Zaros, L., & Rêgo, M. (2020). Ensino remoto emergencial: Proposta de design para organização de aulas. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte.
Garcia-Lira-Neto, J., Todisco-De-Freitas, M., Gancedo-Sáber, A., Pinheiro-Da-Roza, M., Corrêa-Da-Penha, J., & Pereira-Borges, J. (n.d.). Conhecimentos, atitudes e prática de estudantes universitários sobre a COVID-19: Estudo transversal. https://doi.org/10.29393/CE30-11CAJJ60011
Gusso, H. L., Archer, A. B., Luiz, F. B., Sahão, F. T., Luca, G. G., Henklain, M. H. O., Panosso, M. G., Kienen, N., Beltramello, O., & Gonçalves, V. M. (2020). Ensino superior em tempos de pandemia: Diretrizes à gestão universitária. Educação & Sociedade, 41, e238957. https://doi.org/10.1590/ES.238957
Husky, M. M., Kovess-Masfety, V., & Swendsen, J. D. (2020). Stress and anxiety among university students in France during COVID-19 mandatory confinement. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 102, 152191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152191
Kaparounaki, C. K., Patsali, M. E., Mousa, D. P. V., Papadopoulou, E. V. K., Papadopoulou, K. K. K., & Fountoulakis, K. N. (2020). University students’ mental health amidst the COVID-19 quarantine in Greece. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113111
Lakatos, E. M., & Marconi, M. A. (2003). Fundamentos de metodologia científica. Atlas.
Li, H. Y., Cao, H., Leung, D. Y. P., & Mak, Y. W. (2020). The psychological impacts of a COVID-19 outbreak on college students in China: A longitudinal study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(11), 3933. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17113933
Marelli, S., Castelnuovo, A., Somma, A., Castronovo, V., Mombelli, S., Bottoni, D., Leitner, C., Fossati, A., & Ferini-Strambi, L. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on sleep quality in university students and administration staff. Journal of Neurology, 268(1), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-020-10056-6
Miot, H. A. (2011). Tamanho da amostra em estudos clínicos e experimentais. Jornal Vascular Brasileiro, 10(4), 275–278. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1677-54492011000400001
Naser, A. Y., Dahmash, E. Z., Al-Rousan, R., Alwafi, H., Alrawashdeh, H. M., Ghoul, I., Abidine, A., Bokhary, M. A., Al-Hadithi, H. T., Ali, D., Abuthawabeh, R., Abdelwahab, G. M., Alhartani, Y. J., Al Muhaisen, H., Dagash, A., & Alyami, H. S. (2020). Mental health status of the general population, healthcare professionals, and university students during 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak in Jordan: A cross-sectional study. Brain and Behavior, 10(8), e01730. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1730
Odriozola-González, P., Planchuelo-Gómez, Á., Irurtia, M. J., & de Luis-García, R. (2020). Psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown among students and workers of a Spanish university. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113108
Organização Mundial da Saúde. (2020). OMS afirma que COVID-19 é agora caracterizada como pandemia. OPAS/OMS. https://www.paho.org/pt/news/11-3-2020-who-characterizes-covid-19-pandemic
Queiroz, S., Baeninger, R., Demétrio, N., & Domeniconi, J. (2020). Migrações internacionais no século XXI: Tendências e características da dinâmica migratória para o Nordeste brasileiro. Cadernos OBMigra, 6(1), 49–66.
Rees, S., & Fisher, J. (2020). COVID-19 and the mental health of people from refugee backgrounds. International Journal of Health Services, 50(4), 415–417. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020731420942475
Schmidt, B., Crepaldi, M. A., Bolze, S. D. A., Neiva-Silva, L., & Demenech, L. M. (2020). Saúde mental e intervenções psicológicas diante da pandemia do novo coronavírus (COVID-19). Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), 37, e200063. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275202037e200063
Silva, L. M. F., Nascimento, J. D., Xavier, K. R., Jones, A. G., Bernardo, F. M. S., Brasil, E. G. M., Grimaldi, M. R. M., & Carvalho, C. M. L. (2024). Desenvolvimento de uma tecnologia leve-dura para promoção da saúde mental de estudantes universitários. Revista Delos, 17(60), e2292. https://doi.org/10.55905/RDELOSV17.N60-094
Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana. (2022). UNILA é a instituição brasileira de ensino superior que mais atrai estudantes estrangeiros. https://portal.unila.edu.br/noticias/unila-e-a-instituicao-brasileira-de-ensino-superior-que-mais-atrai-estudantes-estrangeiros
Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira. (2020). Quadro geral de discentes ativos.
Xiaobin, F., Jiesheng, L., Zhou, H., Zhiming, X., Weiping, Y., Yunneng, C., Kexun, O., & Huaizhong, L. (2020). Mental health status and its influencing factors among college students during the epidemic of COVID-19. Journal of Southern Medical University, 40(2), 159–163. https://doi.org/10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2020.02.06
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Elias et al.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Population and Health in Mesoamerica informs its authors and readers that all publications must be submitted with the Letter of Acceptance of Copyright Conditions where the authors are asked for authorization to submit the article to the Journal for consideration so that it may carry out any of the following activities:
- The graphic and style editing of the work or part of it.
The publication and reproduction of the work or part of it, both in print and electronic media, including the Internet and any other known or unknown technology.
The translation of the work or part of it into any language or dialect.
The adaptation of the work to reading, sound, voice and any other available technical representation or mechanism, which makes possible its access for partially or totally blind people, or with any other form of special abilities that prevent their access to the conventional reading of the article.
The distribution and availability of the work to the public, in such a way that the public may have access to them from the time and place that each person chooses, through the physical or electronic mechanisms available to them.
Any other form of use, process or system known or to be known that is related to the activities and editorial purposes to which the Journal is linked.
You can access the Letter by clicking HERE. If you have a question, please write to revista.ccp@ucr.ac.cr
In addition, the content of this site is protected under the Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike (by-nc-sa) license which permits commercial use of the original work or derivative works and distribution of which must be made under the same license that governs the original work. The graphic design, images and texts generated by the e-Information Science magazine are property of the Universidad de Costa Rica and are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
Authors who publish in this journal accept the following conditions:
-The authors retain their moral rights over the publication and assign the patrimonial rights mentioned in the Letter of Assignment of Rights with the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - Compatitr Equal 4.0 International license, which allows third parties to use what is published as long as they mention the authorship of the work and to the first publication in this journal.
-Authors may make other independent and additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (e.g., inclusion in an institutional repository or publication in a book) as long as they clearly indicate that the work was first published in this journal.
This policy is established in accordance with Law 6638 on Copyright and Related Rights of the Republic of Costa Rica.
