Predictive factors of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students: a cross-cultural study in six Ibero-American countries

Previous studies during the Covid-19 pandemic reported particularly high prevalence of anxiety and depression among university students, suggesting that they can be a vulnerable group at greater risk than the general population for developing psychological disorders in situations of confinement. However, the impact varied between countries and individuals, concluding that sociocultural and individual differences could condition this impact. Based on this evidence, the psychological impact of the pandemic on Ibero-American students was investigated. A battery of questionnaires was administered to a large sample of 7601 university students (72% female) from six different Spanish-speaking countries: Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, and Uruguay and were compared with a sample of general population (n = 51211). Descriptive analyses indicated a high prevalence (46.15%) of distress among university students, independent of country and significantly higher than in general population (28.27%). Greater feelings of loneliness and greater neuroticism were significantly associated with anxiety, depression, and somatisation. Likewise, male gender and higher levels of resilience resulted as protective factors, while posttraumatic growth was also higher in men and was associated with higher levels of resilience, perceived competence, and responsibility. The data suggest the need to consider individual risk factors such as being a woman, presenting higher levels of neuroticism and loneliness in understanding the psychological impact of the pandemic in university students. It is concluded that universities should offer specific interventions to address mental health problems, complementary to the health system of each country to manage the added complications of the crisis events on students’ mental health.