Page 71 - JCBP-3-3

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Emotional and physiological impact of COVID-19

stressors on university students: Exploring
arousal, anxiety, and gender differences

1
1
Krisztian Kasos * , Catriona O’Halloran , Emma Swift ,
1
Thebe Van Rensbergen , Fanni Vikor , and Prakashini Banka-Cullen 2
1
3
1 Department of Affective Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
2 School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
3 Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Spain

Abstract
COVID-19 and related events, such as lockdowns, had measurable adverse mental
health effects on the population. The present study explores the impact of COVID-19
on young adults’ mental health, specifically examining university students’ emotional
and physiological responses to pandemic-related stress. University students (n = 45)
from various disciplines participated in a within-subject design experiment, during
which their electrodermal activity (EDA) was measured while they recalled COVID-19
experiences. Significant variances in EDA were observed, with disruptions of daily routine
and panic buying inducing the highest responses. A correlation between anxiety levels
*Corresponding author:
Krisztian Kasos and EDA suggests that those with higher anxiety experience stronger physiological
(kasos.krisztian@ppk.elte.hu) reactions. Gender-specific differences in EDA were also detected, highlighting the need
Citation: Kasos K, O’Halloran C, for tailored mental health interventions. This research underscores the importance of
Swift E, Van Rensbergen T, Vikor F, addressing individual and gender-based responses to pandemic stress.
Banka-Cullen P. Emotional and
physiological impact of COVID-19
stressors on university students: Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Electrodermal; Memories; Pandemic
Exploring arousal, anxiety, and
gender differences. J Clin Basic
Psychosom. 2025;3(3):65-77.
doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4825
1. Introduction
Received: September 12, 2024
Revised: November 15, 2024 The COVID-19 pandemic was found to be associated with a significant increase in
the global prevalence of anxiety, with a 25% increase reported by the World Health
Accepted: January 3, 2025 Organization (WHO) in 2022. This translates to an additional 76 million cases globally,
Published online: March 18, 2025 in addition to the pre- existing 374 million cases reported before. Left unaddressed, the
1
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). impacts of anxiety can be far-reaching and may include an increase in suicide attempts
This is an Open-Access article as well as various medical problems, such as cardiovascular disease. 2
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Furthermore, these physical impacts can also reduce an individual’s immune
License, permitting distribution, system, thereby increasing their risk of contracting COVID-19. In addition, anxiety
and reproduction in any medium, related to the pandemic has led to an increase in individuals seeking medical attention
provided the original work is
3
properly cited. for symptoms that may not be directly related to COVID-19. This places additional
pressure on healthcare systems that are already struggling to cope with the influx of
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with COVID-19 patients.
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Research identified various factors that are associated with the increase in anxiety
affiliations. during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as isolation, fear of infection, and financial

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 65 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4825