RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Mental health impairment triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample population of German students
JF Journal of Investigative Medicine
JO J Investig Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 1394
OP 1396
DO 10.1136/jim-2020-001553
VO 68
IS 8
A1 Jenny Schlichtiger
A1 Stefan Brunner
A1 Julius Steffen
A1 Bruno C Huber
YR 2020
UL http://hw-f5-jim.highwire.org/content/68/8/1394.abstract
AB Due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lockdown including limitation of activity and restrictions of non-essential travel was imposed on March 21, 2020 in the State of Bavaria, Germany. The implementation of activity restrictions not only strongly affects the economy but will possibly also impact the mental and physical health status of the general population. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore psychological effects of the COVID-19 crisis on a sample of Bavarian students.In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 1943 voluntary subjects from Bavarian universities. All subjects completed an online questionnaire asking for mental health stress, as well as potential factors, influencing the state of mental stress during pandemic lockdown. In our study cohort, 17.3% (n=336) of the students indicated that they experienced less mental stress through COVID-19 pandemic, while 39.6% (n=770) stated that they had an increased psychological burden. The bivariate analysis identified sex and the level of physical activity as potential risk factors for the level of mental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is necessary to investigate specific symptoms of mental stress and the overall long-term impact on mental health.