Impact of COVID-19 on the psychological health of university students in Spain and their attitudes toward Mobile mental health solutions

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an impact on several aspects of life, including university students’ mental health. Mobile mental care applications (apps) comprise a form of online mental care that enables the delivery of remote mental care. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of university students in Spain and to explore their attitudes toward the use of mobile mental care apps. METHOD: Respondents answered a survey, which comprised two sections. The first included the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) that was employed to assess the students’ mental health. The second section included six questions developed by the authors to explore the students’ attitudes toward mental care apps. RESULTS: The results showed that the students suffered from anxiety and depression as well as social dysfunction. Further, 91.3 % of the students had never used a mobile app for mental health, 36.3 % were unaware of such apps, and 79.2 % were willing to use them in the future. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the psychological health of university students. Mobile mental care apps may be an effective and efficient way to access mental care, particularly during a pandemic.