Pandemic at the university

March 11, 2021 marked one year since the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared that the Sars-Cov-2 virus outbreak had become a global pandemic.

During this time, one of the groups most affected by the consequences of the pandemic is that of students. From primary school to higher education, this group has been in the spotlight from the beginning as a possible passive transmitter of the infection.

This led, even before the strict lockdown, to the sudden closure of classrooms in March 2020. At that time, the duration of COVID-19 was unknown, and in the search for solutions to stop the mass contagion, the closure of all educational settings seemed an appropriate and proportionate measure to the initial impact of the emergence of COVID-19.

Fortunately, the government advocated for promoting in-person teaching, even if only partially, and the 2020-2021 school year was able to begin, albeit with a few changes: new rules, bubble groups, arrows indicating the entry and exit routes of physical spaces, and the firm conviction that, sooner rather than later, classrooms would be closed again.

However, it has been shown that, by complying with all the imposed measures, the student group is not the main vector of transmission of the disease, which has allowed, for the moment, the continuation of in-person classes.

What is the general feeling among university students during this pandemic?

All these changes, these comings and goings, and the multitude of new and changing rules generate added stress on top of the already stressful university life. According to various authors, stress is nothing new for the university community.

The main factors causing stress in university students are: academic factors and personal factors.

Academic reasons include the high demand for teaching due to academic work and exams, peer competition, and grades, among others.

Regarding personal causes , the following stand out: adaptation to a new stage in which the group of friends changes, or the physical environment, as well as the need to satisfy the expectations placed on them, the physical separation from the parents or the assumption of new responsibilities related to emancipation (Sequeria et al., 2014) (Ticona et al., 2014) (Almeida et al., 2018).

To the adaptability required of students, the 2020-2021 academic year adds the uncertainty surrounding the format of classes, which are always at risk of changing from in-person to virtual depending on the epidemiological situation at any given time, or the individual health circumstances of each student, among other factors. This uncertainty becomes an extra source of stress in university programs whose curriculum consists of a high percentage of practical credits, as is the case in the Nursing degree, given the possibility of not being able to complete them on time.

How do these changes affect students' mental health?

All these variables definitely influence students' levels of positive mental health. According to Dr. Maria Teresa Lluch, positive mental health is "a dynamic and fluctuating state in which a person tries to feel and be as well as possible within their circumstances." To cultivate it, it is necessary to consider a series of factors, including the ability to cope with stressful or conflictive situations, to solve problems, and the ability to communicate and establish satisfactory relationships with their environment.

Tips for taking better care of our positive mental health

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But current circumstances make it extremely difficult to implement the individual psychological resources that the university community uses to recharge its "deposits" of positive mental health.

We can say that there is a double threat to the positive mental health of the general population and, specifically, to that of students. On the one hand, the prolonged pandemic. This is not only depleting the "reserves" of well-being that our students already possessed, but it is also hindering their ability to utilize the coping mechanisms they typically employ. The inability to meet with their peers, celebrate academic successes, or share failures with friends can generate frustration and anger and, in the long run, trigger problems related to anxiety, among others.

Challenges and possibilities versus threats and confinement

At this point, it seems necessary to focus on creating new coping tools, based on the possibilities that the pandemic leaves us, instead of putting all the attention on the aspects that it makes us give up.

One of the most interesting adaptive strategies when facing a situation like the one we are experiencing is learning to adjust our expectations .

According to the Royal Spanish Academy, expectations are reasonable hopes that something will happen. Therefore, they are based on how we perceive a given situation, how we interpret it, and the possibilities we believe we have of handling it.

Thus, one potentially useful tactic is to transform what is being presented as a constant threat by many media outlets into a challenge. This shift in perspective allows individuals to focus inward, through introspection, to discover or develop strengths and virtues that can help them navigate this situation.

Another useful tool is knowing how to put time into perspective. Understanding that what initially seemed like a sprint has now become a marathon, requiring pauses to reflect, planning refueling points, and pacing oneself to reach the finish line. A finish line that, moreover, currently seems distant and still undefined.

The challenge lies in transforming these "refueling points," in creating new wells from which to draw energy. It's about turning this situation into an opportunity to discover new ways to recharge our batteries: reconnecting with nature, trying new sports like outdoor skating, or inventing new games for Sunday afternoons. And above all, investing time in reconnecting with ourselves, carefully planning moments of self-care, so that our "well-being reserves" don't run dry.