Abstract

Background: Chilean higher education students have faced highly stressful events in 2020, including confinement and remote education. This population is particularly susceptible to mental health problems, such as high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Aim: To evaluate possible negative impacts of confinement by COVID-19 on Chilean higher education students’ mental health. Material and Methods: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) Scale and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) were applied to 315 students during 2016 and to 301 students during 2020. Results: In 2020, depression mean scores for men (24.1) and women (29.7) exceeded the cutoff point, therefore suggesting the presence of depressive disorder. Women had higher depressive and anxious symptoms in both years, however, in 2020 a significant increase was observed for depression, indicating interaction between the year of assessment and gender (b = 6.74; p <.001). In both samples, first-year students had significantly higher depression scores (b = -1,909; p = 0.05). Conclusions:An increase in depression was observed in 2020. Confinement by COVID-19 had a high impact on mental health in female students. Women and first-year students appear to be high risk groups for developing depressive symptoms.