Female students are the most psychologically affected by the COVID-19 outbreak: a case study in an academic community in Brazil

Paludo, A. C.; Silva, M. P.; Souza, J. P.; Tartaruga, M. P.; Gruppi, D.; Cavazzotto, T.

OBJECTIVE: The study evaluates psychological responses to the COVID-19 outbreak in the students, professors, and staff due to the social distancing and transition of the classroom activities through online learning. METHODS: 518 participants from a University community in Brazil answered an online survey with questions related to demographic data, psychological responses, and preventive measures. Absolute and relative frequencies described the sample, Chi-square and z-test tested associations between the variables, adopting p<0.05. RESULTS: Female (71.20%), young age -18 to 35 years (82.60%), students (76.10%), living in a family with 1 to 3 members during quarantine (55.40%) were more prevalent respondents. Women, young age, and students had a significantly higher rate of negative feelings in all psychological questions. Curiously, negative feelings during social distances affect the participants, independent of living quarantine alone or with family/friends during the COVID-19 outbreak. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that the COVID-19 outbreak affected the psychological responses in the Brazilian academic community, also, women, young age, and students appear to be a risk group to negative psychological responses. The long-term quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic may cause further worsening in the psychological responses, especially in those in the risk group.