DIGITALPSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN SOUTHERN ITALIAN STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC AGE
1 A.I.A.S. sez. Nola - University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" - Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava (ITALY)
2 Neapolisanit s.r.l. (ITALY)
3 Neapolisanit s.r.l.- University of Naples Federico II (ITALY)
2 Neapolisanit s.r.l. (ITALY)
3 Neapolisanit s.r.l.- University of Naples Federico II (ITALY)
About this paper:
Appears in: EDULEARN22 Proceedings
Publication year: 2022
Pages: 5894-5899
ISBN: 978-84-09-42484-9
ISSN: 2340-1117
doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2022.1381
Publication year: 2022
Pages: 5894-5899
ISBN: 978-84-09-42484-9
ISSN: 2340-1117
doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2022.1381
Conference name: 14th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Dates: 4-6 July, 2022
Location: Palma, Spain
Dates: 4-6 July, 2022
Location: Palma, Spain
Abstract:
Italy was the first European country to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, by implementing a nationwide total lockdown. During this period, several Italian studies have been carried out to explore the psychological impact of these restrictive rules, consistently shown the negative effects on mental health in adults, children and adolescents. Instead, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health in subsequent waves, where restrictions were more eased, were very scarce, especially in younger.Our objective is to explore perceived psychological distress during the partial lockdown of the third wave in a huge sample of Southern Italian students. Specifically we assessed the hypothesis that high school students and females might suffer more during the pandemic. Also, we aimed at investigating the relationship between psychological wellbeing during the pandemic and type of education (face-to-face or distance learning). This study is a part of a bigger study conducted by the Italian Order of Psychologist, on a large sample of students from Southern Italy.
To this aim, a total sample of 410 students (age range: 8–19 years; M=161, F=249) residing in Campania in South Italy completed an anonymous online survey from March to July 2021, advertised via social media groups. The survey consisting of a set of questions regarding general socio-demographic information (i.e., age, gender and education) as well as several aspects of students’ psychological wellbeing, including: experiencing negative thoughts and emotions, symptoms of anxiety and depression, tiredness, stress, sleep disorders and dysfunctional coping strategies. Participants were asked to answer every question by rating how often each symptom is experienced in the last months on a 3-point scale from “never” to “frequently”.
Results showed that psychological distress was higher in high school students compared to both elementary and middle ones. Also, we found gender differences, in that girls reported more psychological distress compared to boys. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between psychological distress and distance learning, highlighting the protective role of school in presence for mental health in students.