From Pandemic to COVID-19 Endemic: Mental Health Impact, Psychological and Social Well-Being Among Social Work Students-Implications for the Healthcare System.

Our research paper aims to analyse the relationship between the perceived impact on mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social well-being, and psychological well-being among social work students. As we transition from the pandemic phase to an endemic phase of COVID-19, it is necessary to examine these aspects, recognizing the interdependence and complementarity of social and medical care within the healthcare system. The research was conducted nearly three years after the lockdown measures imposed by the spread of COVID-19, during a period when onsite academic activities had resumed, as they were prior to the pandemic. The sample consisted of 235 social work students from both bachelor's and master's programmes studying at a large university in Romania. Data was collected between December 2022 and January 2023, during a time when onsite educational activities were once again taking place. Our results show that, despite the significant amount of time that had passed since the pandemic began, its negative effects were still strongly felt on a psychosocial level. This finding leads us to conclude that there is a long-term COVID-19 impact on mental health. Most study participants reported experiencing high (42.10%) or moderate (23%) levels of being mentally affected, which also affected their psychological and social well-being, key factors in preparing future social-medical care professionals to provide adequate integrated healthcare services.