Abstract
This research aimed to identify the impacts on mental health and the daily lives of students of the undergraduate course in Occupational Therapy at a Federal Public University in the face of the COVID-19 coping scenario. This is an exploratory and descriptive study, with a quantitative and qualitative approach. For data collection, a semi-structured questionnaire organized in Google Forms was used. Fifty-three undergraduate students from the first to the last year of the course participated in the study. The results show that 94% of the participants are female, aged between 20 and 25 years (78%). Before the pandemic, students performed a wide range of weekly activities, 68% of whom had no previous mental health issues, or had no difficulties that significantly impacted their lives. With the advent of the pandemic and its consequences, the study found that 94% of participants observed their mental health impacted, and of these, 92% showed anxiety as the most recurrent manifestation. It was also found that practically all activities that made up students' daily lives before the COVID-19 pandemic were altered in some way, with the socialization category being the second most cited. Given the current scenario, in which the pandemic has been in existence for more than a year, it is important to investigate how and which coping strategies not only students but also the general population, have adopted to deal with the persistent and permanent challenges. Thus, it points to the need and importance of investing in research that deepens the understanding of these impacts and the possible coping strategies adopted.
Keywords:
Pandemic; COVID-19; Mental Health; Students; Occupational Therapy
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