Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec:10:100377.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100377. Epub 2022 Jul 3.

Predictors of stress in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mírian Celly Medeiros Miranda David  1   2 , Gilberto Ramos Vieira  3 , Lívia Maria de Lima Leôncio  3 , Letycia Dos Santos Neves  4 , Clécia Gabriela Bezerra  3 , Marina Souza Barbosa de Mattos  5 , Nataly Ferreira Dos Santos  2 , Flávio Henrique de Santana  3 , Rodolfo Barbosa Antunes  6 , John Fontenele Araújo  7 , Rhowena Jane Barbosa de Matos  1   2   8
Affiliations

Predictors of stress in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mírian Celly Medeiros Miranda David et al. J Affect Disord Rep. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Background: College students experience high stress levels during emergency remote classes in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not clear whether this is due to the summation effect of both stressors (classes and pandemic). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate predictors of stress in college students before and during remote classes five months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The study was conducted before (BRC, July-August 2020) and during remote classes (DRC, October-November 2020). The sample consisted of 177 individuals (80 in BRC, 97 in DRC). Students were asked to self-collect saliva for cortisol analysis at each moment of the study, and to fill out a form to characterize the individual and assess the chronotype (Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and the stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10).

Results: There was no difference between the evaluated periods for cortisol, perceived stress or sleep quality. Predictors for cortisol levels were gender, academic semester, chronotype, sleep quality and sadness due to pandemic (p<0.001).

Limitations: Short interval between BRC and DRC assessments of perceived stress and salivary cortisol.

Conclusions: Age, sex, income, academic semester, chronotype, and the impact of the pandemic on mood are predictors of stress among college students. In addition, emergency remote classes and sleep quality contribute to less stress.

Keywords: Chronotype; Coronavirus disease; Distress; E-learning; Hormone; University.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests related to this study.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Aguilera-Hermida A.P. College students’ use and acceptance of emergency online learning due to COVID-19. Int. J. Educ. Res. Open. 2020;1 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alzahrani H., Alshehri F., Alsufiany M., Allam H.H., Almeheyawi R., Eid M.M., Sadarangani K.P. Impact of the 2019 Coronavirus disease pandemic on health-related quality of life and psychological status: the role of physical activity. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021;18(8):3992. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baliyan S., Cimadevilla J.M., de Vidania S., Pulopulos M.M., Sandi C., Venero C. Differential susceptibility to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on working memory, empathy, and perceived stress: the role of cortisol and resilience. Brain Sci. 2021;11(3):348. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Buysse D.J., Reynolds III C.F., Monk T.H., Berman S.R., Kupfer D.J. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989;28(2):193–213. - PubMed
    1. Bailey S.L., Heitkemper M.M. Circadian rhythmicity of cortisol and body temperature: morningness-eveningness effects. Chronobiol. Int. 2001;18(2):249–261. - PubMed