Anxiety symptoms in students at a public university in Maranhão during the COVID-19 pandemic

Anxiety is a condition associated with the individual's natural state, which manifests itself as a normal reaction to something specific as a warning or alarm mechanism. Pathological anxiety differs from the normal state in terms of its intensity, characterized by restlessness and tension, without necessarily the presence of an imminent threat, a causal object or an individual, which are characterized as emotional stressors of anxiety. Studies show that anxiety-related symptoms are quite common among university students, especially in the context of the humanitarian crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought major changes to the teaching-learning model. The aim of this study was to assess anxiety levels in a sample of students enrolled in undergraduate courses at a public university in the state of Maranhão, taking into account the pandemic context and its impact on students' academic and social lives. The research was methodologically oriented in the form of field research, exploratory and with a quantitative approach. Data was collected using Aaron Beck's anxiety scale, known as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). This study included a sample of 84 university students, from which three variables were assessed in addition to the general determination of anxiety levels based on the scores: course, gender and period. 9.5% (N=8) of the participants had severe levels of anxiety; 23.8% (N=20) had moderate levels; 32.1% (N=27) had mild levels and 34.5% (N=29) had minimum acceptable levels. The courses with the highest levels were Veterinary Medicine with an average of 26.2 (SD=14) and Biological Sciences with an average of 20.6 (SD=15.0). In terms of gender, women had a higher anxiety index, with an average of 19.9 (SD=13.2). As for the time periods, graduating students had the most intense symptoms, with an average of 16.8 (SD=12.6). Studies of this nature are relevant, as they demonstrate the need for debates and actions aimed at combating anxiety in order to prevent it from becoming more serious in undergraduate students at higher education institutions.