Psychological Well-Being and Resilience of Slovenian Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic Translated title: PSIHOLOŠKO BLAGOSTANJE IN ODPORNOST SLOVENSKIH ŠTUDENTOV V ČASU PANDEMIJE COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Students’ mental health is recognised as an important public health issue, and the strict measures and many changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated this. The aims of the study were thus to explore psychological well-being among university students in Slovenia during the beginning of the second lockdown, and to assess associations among their psychological well-being, demographic characteristics, presence of a chronic health condition, and resilience.

Methods

The Slovenian online cross-sectional survey was performed as part of a large-scale international survey led by the COVID-HL Consortium, between the 2nd and 23rd November 2020. The study was carried out on a sample of 3,468 university students (70% female) in Slovenia, aged between 18 to 40 (M=22/SD=3). In addition to sociodemographic data and that on the presence of a chronic health condition, data on subjective social status (SSS), psychological well-being (WHO-5) and resilience (CD-RISC 10) was also gathered.

Results

In our study 52% of university students reported good psychological well-being. Hierarchical binary logistic regression revealed that male, older students, those with higher perceived subjective social status, students without a chronic health condition, and those with higher score on resilience were more likely to have good psychological well-being. Resilience was the strongest predictor of psychological well-being in our study.

Conclusions

Systematic preventive approaches/interventions in the field of mental health should be implemented among students in Slovenia. In this context it is important to develop and deliver programmes for enhancing resilience, which is an important protective factor in times of mental distress.

IZVLEČEK

Uvod

Duševno zdravje študentov je prepoznano kot pomemben javnozdravstveni problem. Strogi ukrepi in številne spremembe, ki so posledica pandemije COVID-19, so lahko dodatno vplivale na duševno zdravje študentov. Cilj raziskave je bil preučiti psihološko blagostanje študentov v Sloveniji na začetku drugega “lockdowna” oz. zaprtja družbe. Prav tako smo želeli preveriti povezanost med psihološkim blagostanjem, sociodemografskimi značilnostmi, prisotnostjo kronične bolezni ter psihološko odpornostjo.

Metode

Slovenska spletna presečna raziskava je bila izvedena v obdobju med 2. in 23. novembrom 2020 v okviru obsežne mednarodne raziskave, ki jo je vodil konzorcij COVID-HL. Raziskava je bila opravljena na vzorcu 3.468 študentov (70 % žensk) v Sloveniji, starih 18–40 let (M = 22, SD = 3). Poleg sociodemografskih podatkov ter podatka glede prisotnosti kronične bolezni so bili zbrani tudi podatki o subjektivnem socialnem statusu (SSS), psihološkem blagostanju (WHO-5) in psihološki odpornosti (CD-RISC 10).

Rezultati

V naši raziskavi je 52 % študentov poročalo o dobrem psihološkem blagostanju. Hierarhična binarna logistična regresija je pokazala, da imajo višji obet za psihološko blagostanje moški, starejši študentje, študentje z višjim SSS, študentje brez kroničnih zdravstvenih težav ter študentje z višjim dosežkom pri psihološki odpornosti. Psihološka odpornost je bila najmočnejši napovednik dobrega psihološkega blagostanja.

Zaključek

Vpeljati je treba sistematične preventivne pristope/ukrepe na področju duševnega zdravja med študenti v Sloveniji. Razviti in izvajati bi bilo treba programe krepitve psihološke odpornosti, ki je pomemben varovalni dejavnik v času duševne stiske.