Highly stressful global event affecting health sciences students: A longitudinal qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences Education
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Major stressful events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, profoundly reshape societal norms and health education.
• University students, particularly in health sciences, encountered substantial challenges affecting their well-being and academic pursuits.
• The pandemic necessitated shifts in educational paradigms, including the integration of online technologies and new teaching methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the lived experiences and perceptions of university health sciences students concerning lifestyle adjustments and academic stress.
• To analyze these experiences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify potential correlations between lifestyle, academic stress, and demographic factors.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative, analytical-interpretative research design employing the hermeneutic method.
• Complementary inferential statistical analysis of numerically coded responses.
• Data collection from 1,735 health sciences students at two distinct periods: virtual modality during social isolation (T1) and face-to-face modality upon return (T2).

Main Results:

• Four primary themes emerged: lifestyle modifications, altered academic activities, preference for vocational training modality, and academic stress.
• Significant gender-based differences were observed in student experiences.
• A notable increase in academic stress and lifestyle changes were reported across both virtual and face-to-face learning phases.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic served as a significant stressor, detrimentally affecting the lifestyles and academic well-being of health sciences students.
• Academic program and student gender were identified as statistically significant factors influencing the observed changes.
• Students reported consistent lifestyle modifications and academic overload throughout the pandemic, irrespective of the learning modality.