AUTHOR=Amerio Andrea , Bertuccio Paola , Santi Francesca , Bianchi Davide , Brambilla Andrea , Morganti Alessandro , Odone Anna , Costanza Alessandra , Signorelli Carlo , Aguglia Andrea , Serafini Gianluca , Capolongo Stefano , Amore Mario 

TITLE=Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.813130

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.813130

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background: Prolonged university closures and social distancing imposed measures due to COVID-19 pandemic obliged students to at-home learning with online lectures and educational programs promoting potential social isolation, loneliness, hopelessness and episodes of clinical decompensation.
Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in a university institute in Milan, Northern Italy, to assess the COVID-19 lockdown impact on mental health of undergraduate students. We estimated odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) through multiple logistic regression models.
Results: On the 8177 students, 12.8% reported depressive symptoms, 25.6% anxiety, 8.7% insomnia, and 10.6% reported impulsive tracts, with higher proportions among females than males. Having a person to care at home, a poor housing quality and a worsening of the working performance were positively associated to mental health symptoms. A poor housing quality showed a stronger positive association with depressive symptoms and impulsivity among males than females, as well as a worsening the working performance and both depressive and anxiety symptoms. The absence of private space was positively associated to depression and anxiety, stronger among males than females.
Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first multi-disciplinary consortium study, involving public mental health, environmental health and architectural design. Further studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings and consequent recommendations to implement well-being interventions in pandemic conditions.