Habilidades sociais e ansiedade em universitários na pandemia de Covid-19

Abstract

Social Skills (SS) favor quality interpersonal relationships and assist in the process of adapting and coping with difficult situations. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused psychological impacts related to stress, anxiety and depression, in the general population, including university students. In this sense, the present study aimed to analyze the relationship between SS and anxiety in the period of COVID-19, as well as to investigate symptoms of anxiety and the skills repertoire of university students. 295 students from the Federal University of Amazonas participated in this research (n = 295), who answered an online questionnaire, made available on the Google Forms platform, containing questions about sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral data, highlighting the questions that investigated anxiety and the SS. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and in this step the chi-square test, internal consistency by Cronbach's Alpha and exploratory factor analysis were used. The results showed a predominance of female participation (63.7%), aged between 18 and 24 years (88.1%), single (94.9%), Exact Sciences area (39%), with monthly income family> 4,0001.00 (35.9%), decreased consumption of alcohol (from 63.7% to 54.9%) and other drugs (from 11.2% to 8.1%), when comparing previous and previous periods during the pandemic. Regarding anxiety, 49.2% of university students reported a moderate level and 24.7%, high level. Regarding SS, it was found that 37.3% of students reported a lower repertoire and 36.6%, a well-designed repertoire. The SS classes were investigated, with a predominance of the inferior repertoire in assertiveness (38.6%), civility (41.3%), communication (42.3%), expression of positive feeling (39.3%) and empathy ( 44.5%). There were significant statistical associations between SS and anxiety (p = 0.013), which showed that the mild level of anxiety was associated with a well-designed repertoire. In relation to the SS classes, the association occurred between empathy and anxiety (p = 0.003), which indicated the well-developed repertoire associated with high and mild levels of anxiety. It is concluded that a well-designed SS repertoire can be configured as a protective factor for academic performance and psychological well-being, providing students with the tools to better manage various contextual demands. Due to the vulnerability of this population, the relevance of institutional strategies aimed at promoting students' mental health is considered.