Impacto da covid-19 na saúde mental e no consumo de substâncias psicoativas em universitários: revisão integrativa

Abstract

entering higher education marks a decisive transition in the lives of university students, characterized by positive expectations regarding the achievement of professional and personal goals. However, scientific literature highlights a greater propensity for risky behaviors during this period, such as increased consumption of psychoactive substances and mental health challenges. Furthermore, the effects of social isolation resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic appear to have significantly impacted the mental health of this population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and the consumption of psychoactive substances among university students. The methodology used was an integrative literature review. The search strategy employed the DeCS/MeSH descriptors: "students", "mental health", "pandemic", "COVID-19", and "substance use disorders". The results indicated that among students who already had psychological symptoms prior to the pandemic, there was a significant worsening of their condition and an increase in emotional symptoms, triggering symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety. Regarding the consumption of psychoactive substances, 73.6% of the articles showed an increase in consumption, 15.7% reported that consumption remained the same as before the pandemic, and 10.5% found no statistically significant difference. It is concluded that the majority of scientific evidence points to a negative impact of the pandemic on the mental health of university students, resulting in a significant increase in the consumption of alcohol and psychoactive substances as a possible coping strategy for the challenges arising from COVID-19.

Keywords: Students, mental health, COVID-19 pandemic, and substance use disorders.