Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia.
Institute of Public Health of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Jan 16;59(1):180. doi: 10.3390/medicina59010180.
Background and Objectives: The time of the pandemic brought great difficulties, both in state and interstate systems, industry, trade, and with individuals themselves. In addition, numerous studies have shown a drastic increase in mental disorders in people around the world. Therefore, the basic idea of our study was to investigate these disorders in university students in relation to their different lifestyles. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out at the University of Niš (Serbia) from December 2021 to February 2022. All of the participants were assessed by using appropriate questionnaires. The study included 1400 randomly selected students (692 females and 708 males). The statistical analysis of the data included the application of multiple regression analyses and correlation tests. Results: Statistical analysis indicates that extremely severe levels of depression symptoms were reported by 232 students (16.6%). Severe and extremely severe anxiety symptoms were reported by 480 students (34.3%). Multiple linear regression analysis found that for the increased depressive symptoms, the “most deserving” parameters were related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages and psychoactive substances (β = 0.10, and 0.11, respectively), compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. For anxiety symptoms, the main role was played by alcohol consumption (β = 0.11) but also by the use of social networks as an adequate substitute for deprived content during the pandemic (β = 0.13). Alcohol consumption was the most “responsible” for elevated stress levels compared to the period before the pandemic (β = 0.19). Conclusions: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were drastically increased in the university students. There was significantly more frequent consumption of alcoholic beverages and psychoactive substances among them. That is why social support from a close environment is the most important strategy in coping with mental health issues during emergency situations.
疫情期间，无论是在国家和国际体系、工业、贸易还是个人方面都面临着巨大的困难。此外，大量研究表明，全球范围内人们的精神障碍急剧增加。因此，我们研究的基本思路是调查大学生的这些障碍与他们不同的生活方式有关。
该横断面研究于 2021 年 12 月至 2022 年 2 月在塞尔维亚尼什大学进行。所有参与者均通过适当的问卷进行评估。该研究包括 1400 名随机选择的学生（692 名女性和 708 名男性）。数据分析包括多元回归分析和相关性检验。
统计分析表明，有 232 名学生（16.6%）报告出现严重程度极高的抑郁症状。480 名学生（34.3%）报告出现严重和严重程度极高的焦虑症状。多元线性回归分析发现，与新冠疫情前相比，导致抑郁症状增加的“最相关”因素与酒精和精神活性物质的消费有关（β=0.10 和 0.11）。对于焦虑症状，主要因素是酒精消费（β=0.11），同时，在疫情期间，社交网络的使用作为对剥夺内容的适当替代也起到了一定作用（β=0.13）。与新冠疫情前相比，酒精消费是导致压力水平升高的最主要因素（β=0.19）。
由于新冠疫情，大学生的抑郁、焦虑和压力症状急剧增加。他们更频繁地消费酒精和精神活性物质。因此，在紧急情况下，来自亲密环境的社会支持是应对心理健康问题的最重要策略。
