Avaliação dos impactos da Pandemia da Covid-19 sobre a saúde mental de alunos de cursos de graduação

Abstract

In 2019, the world was the scene of the largest and most devastating pandemic of the modern era, claiming the lives of more than 14.9 million people, called Covid-19, a respiratory syndrome caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Therefore, with so many areas to be researched regarding the harmful effects that the pandemic has brought, this research focuses on the field of Higher Education, and aims to contribute to the Brazilian university system, addressing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on higher education courses graduation. The preliminary analysis of secondary data, obtained from the Statistical yearbook of the Federal University of Ceará 2022 (base year 2021), indicates that comparing the pre-pandemic period (2018 and 2019) with the pandemic (2020 and 2021): (i) there was a 9% reduction in the number of undergraduate students graduating; (ii) 14% reduction in the Graduation Success Rate; (iii) and 21% increase among enrolled students. These data reveal that the performance of undergraduate courses was impacted very strongly as a result of Covid-19, with the graduation rate decreasing and with a greater backlog of students, leading to a higher number of enrollments. Therefore, we have the following hypothesis: Covid 19 caused impacts on the mental health of UFC undergraduate students, compromising their academic performance. Therefore, the objective was to diagnose the impacts of Covid-19 on the academic performance of undergraduate students in the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic period, while it was also aimed to identify the strongest points, as well as the greatest vulnerabilities of these courses during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. A study was carried out with a qualitative-quantitative methodology to analyze longitudinal data of an ex-ante and ex-post-facto nature, using the pandemic period (years 2020 and 2021) and post-pandemic (years 2022 and 2023) as the demarcation. The sampling plan consisted of responses from 5,954 undergraduate students out of 29,093 enrolled, resulting in a return rate of 20.46%. The answers were provided to an electronic form with questions about component aspects of mental health that was sent to them through the Integrated Academic Information System (SIGAA) during 30 days of the 2022 academic year. The results showed that the Covid-19 Pandemic negatively impacted the ability to concentrate to perform academic tasks; sleep quality; generation of feelings of exhaustion and psychological pressure; feelings of worry and depression; low self-confidence to deal with personal problems; negative expectations directed at the university course; low motivation to perform academic activities. On the other hand, secondary data analyzes suggested the occurrence of negative impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on graduation rates and retention rates of students in undergraduate courses at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC). Moreover, the detailed investigation of psychological impacts revealed a concerning panorama, where a significant portion of students reported an increase in the frequency of symptoms related to anxiety and depression disorders. The quantitative analysis showed that 65% of the participants experienced a notable decline in their academic self-efficacy, while 74% indicated an increase in the perception of academic stress. Interestingly, the research also pointed to a negative correlation between deteriorated mental health and academic engagement, with a 40% reduction in active participation in curricular activities compared to the pre-pandemic period. These findings underscore the magnitude of the challenges faced by students, pointing to the urgent need for institutional policies and intervention strategies that promote psychopedagogical support and curricular adaptations, aiming to mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic in the higher education environment.