How do students cope with stress during remote learning due toCOVID-19 pandemic? Biological and psychological factors- protocol of thestudy

Agnieszka Paulina  Brzezińska; Weronika  Perczyńska; Justyna Faustyna  Nowaczek; Katarzyna  Nowak; Mateusz  Maciejczyk; Joanna  Rog

doi:10.2478/cpp-2022-0024

Authors

Agnieszka Paulina Brzezińska Student Research Group at the I Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Early Intervention, Medical Univeristy of Lublin, Poland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5730-8813
Weronika Perczyńska Student Research Group at the I Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Early Intervention, Medical Univeristy of Lublin, Poland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2487-2650
Justyna Faustyna Nowaczek Student Research Group at the I Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Early Intervention, Medical Univeristy of Lublin, Poland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7622-2345
Katarzyna Nowak Student Research Group at the I Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Early Intervention, Medical Univeristy of Lublin, Poland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8289-1681
Mateusz Maciejczyk Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Ergonomics, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5609-3187
Joanna Rog Laboratory of Human Metabolism Research, Department of Dietetics, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Poland Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4057-9507

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2478/cpp-2022-0024

Keywords:

depression, saliva, biomarkers, cortisol, FGF-2, CgA

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the mental health of the Polish population. Students are the group with a high risk of developing mood disorders. The scientific data suggest the usefulness of biological substances as potential biomarkers of psychiatric disorders. Saliva is non-invasive, quick to obtain material and a promising fluid for measuring stress and depression severity. In this paper, we present the protocol of our study, which aims to assess the utility of concentrations of biological fluids as potential biomarkers of the stress response and risk of developing depression and anxiety disorders among students of Lublin.

Materials and methods: Total number of 80 students were included in the study. Participants were asked to collect saliva samples simultaneously with responding to the questionnaires concerning their mental state. Afterwards, the samples were examined with an ELISA test to assess the level of fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA). The relationship between biomarkers and severity of stress, depression, anxiety will be examined.

Results: Cortisol on its own is not a good material to investigate the stress reaction in saliva due to its variable levels among people during stressful situations. Scientific data indicate the usefulness of other biomarkers or their combination to indicate the potential risk of developing depression and/or anxiety.

Conclusions: Introducing objective tests, helpful for mood symptoms recognition, would improve the prevention and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders in vulnerable populations.

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How do students cope with stress during remote learning due toCOVID-19 pandemic? Biological and psychological factors- protocol of thestudy

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