Experiences of undergraduate students from portuguese-speaking countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: To explore experiences of Portuguese-speaking undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This is a qualitative descriptive study carried out from August to December 2022 with 41 Portuguese-speaking undergraduate students. Virtual interviews were carried out with audio-record. The participant’s speeches were transcribed and processed in IRAMUTEQ and analyzed using the Descending Hierarchical Classification.

Results: A total of 20,716 occurrences of words were observed, and six categories emerged: Media information and fear of risk of acquiring the disease; Negative effects of social isolation due to COVID-19; Reorganizing the routine during the pandemic period; Concerns about the shift from on-site teaching to online teaching; Impacts of the pandemic on future plans; Adaptation to changes and the new lifestyle to control COVID-19. The partipant’s speeches shown that COVID-19 pandemic has strongly affected the academic life of Portuguese-speaking undergraduate students with negative repercussions on mental well-being, adaptation to social isolation, difficulty in maintaining a productive routine, experiencing episodes of anxiety and concerns regarding online teaching, insecurity and anguish due to changes in future plans and a new lifestyle.

Conclusions: Experiences of Portuguese-speaking undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the impact of the emerging scenario in their mental health, life adaptation and academic routine. These results can subsidize the develop of strategies to promote mental health of undergraduate students, especially after COVID-19 pandemic, aiming at improving student’s quality of life and well-being, and equality in access to quality education.