Influence of Individual-Typological Characteristics on the Formation

of Depressive Symptoms during Distance Learning in Conditions of

Self-isolation and COVID-19: On the Example of DSMU Students

Angela S. Damadaeva

, Razin M. Ragimov

and Naida M. Abdullaeva

Dagestan State University, Dagestan, Russia

State Budget Educational Institution Dagestan State Medical Academy, Makhachkala, Russia

Keywords: Self-isolation, Students, Depression, Mental Health, Covid 19, Personality Traits.

Abstract:

The article presents an analysis of population studies in various areas of scientific knowledge during a

pandemic. The data on the consequences, course and impact of the pandemic on various living standards of

the population are provided. As a result of considering various data obtained in the course of studying various

aspects of distance learning, both positive and negative, it was concluded that the main disorders during forced

self-isolation are associated with the mental health crisis of the young generation in the conditions of Covid-

19. The above data show a tendency for a wide range of disorders from social maladjustment to neuroses and

psychosomatic disorders. In accordance with the hypothesis of this study that the personality characteristics

of students and the period of self-isolation and other quarantine measures affect the formation of predictors

of mental health disorders in the form of the occurrence of depressive symptoms of various severity, we used

three methods to test it in the experimental part of the work: PHQ9 test, K. Leonhard - G. Shmishek and an

individual typological questionnaire (ITQ) by L.N. Sobchak. In the course of the study, it was revealed that

during the period of self-isolation, most of the students showed signs of depressive symptoms, which mainly

have signs of mild depression, and the severity of its course (reliability at the level p = <0.001) is influenced

by the individual typological qualities of the personality of students.

1 INTRODUCTION

Online education is likely to become the main form

of education by 2025. The problem is not that

distance education as an alternative form of education

is unacceptable in our learning environment. The

sudden shift from traditional classrooms and face-to-

face learning to online learning has resulted in a very

different learning experience for students and

educators. It was not successful for all students.

I. E. Sokolovskaya in 2020 conducted a study on

the features of socio-psychological adaptation in

distance learning, during which data were obtained

that only 13 % of students experience complete

emotional well-being with this type of education.

According to Yu.R. Petkov, among the main

problems of distance learning, there are problems

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with motivation, the quality of the service system and

the lack of staffing, which slows down the adaptation

processes of students in the transition to distance

education.

In the same year, we conducted a survey of

DSMU students, which allowed us to obtain similar

data and the result of which it was revealed that about

80 % of students have a negative attitude to distance

education, and more than 50 % have difficulties in

distance education, both educational and

psychological, bordering on stress. Having studied

the health of students during the pandemic, I.E.

Sharova concluded that it is impossible to arrange a

health-preserving environment with virtual learning.

A student breaks away from real life, loses

socialization (live communication), is in a virtual

environment and, under these conditions, is deprived

of the opportunity to think and make conclusions

Damadaeva, A., Ragimov, R. and Abdullaeva, N.

Inﬂuence of Individual-Typological Characteristics on the Formation of Depressive Symptoms during Distance Learning in Conditions of Self-isolation and COVID-19: On the Example of

DSMU Students.

DOI: 10.5220/0011110700003439

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference "COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals" (RTCOV 2021), pages 66-70

ISBN: 978-989-758-617-0

independently, which affects his/her mental abilities,

such as the ability to feel, emotion, which is even

worse – these circumstances force him/her to

withdraw into his/her own world.

The inadequacy of such forms of education leads

to personal perversions and impaired socialization,

loss of social skills.

Education is not only the process of obtaining

information as a result of learning, but also the

development of abilities, unlocking the potential of

students and preparing them to become a successful

member of society.

Prolonged stay in a confined space is unsafe for

the psyche. This is due to the fact that forced isolation

in conditions of a tense information background can

cause mental disorders and even severe forms of

depression. The concern of psychologists and

psychiatrists, causes academic stress for students, its

impact on their academic performance, and,

therefore, on health, as due to the lack of

online/distance learning experience, students with

low socioeconomic status become more susceptible

to stress during this pandemic due to for continuing

difficult conditions such as lack of access to Internet

resources (such as computers and Internet

connection).

According to E. Yang, during the peak of the

spread of Covid-19, the number of requests for

psychological help increased and the requests were

caused by anxiety-depressive symptoms. Interesting

study is presented by D.V. Sochivko, who developed

the author's methodology Reaction to Frustration of

Self-Isolation, where, according to the data presented,

it can be concluded that frustration during self-

isolation is delayed and will still backfire, if not in

behavioral models, it will act as a trigger in the event

of a confluence of favorable negative factors. One of

the parameters that emerges when launching depth

effects is the question of the characteristics of

temperament, which is presented in the first

paragraph of the methodology. The same opinion is

shared by Iranian scientists Zandifar A., Badrfam R. ,

whose studies during the pandemic noted an increase

in the number of mental disorders, confirming the

studies by Dong L., Bouey J., conducted in China and

designated as a mental health crisis population during

the period of self-isolation and warned about the

consequences of this crisis. Studies conducted in

Japan by Qiu J., Shen B., Zhao M., et al ... revealed

an increase in anxiety and stress in the population

associated with COVID-19.

In February 2020, in China, Huang Y., Zhao N.

conducted an Internet survey, during which 7

thousand respondents were interviewed. According to

the results of this study, it was found that signs of

generalized anxiety disorder were found in 35.1 %,

sleep disorders – in 18.1 %, and signs of depression –

in 20.1 %.

Study by M.Yu. Sorokin and E.D. Kasyanov

during a pandemic and forced self-isolation revealed

the peculiarities of psychological reactions

characteristic of this time and came to the conclusion

that a post-like stage of secondary manifestations of

self-isolation still awaits us.

The negative consequences of quarantine,

affecting the psyche of people, are quite dangerous

and can persist even 3 years after self-isolation and be

a predictor of symptoms of other disorders. D.I.

Ostrovsky and T.I. Ivanova is a very relevant study

and came to the conclusion that at present it is

important to study the mental state of students in the

changed conditions. Quarantine measures are a thing

of the past; students return to normal life. However, it

is already possible to make cautious predictions about

the long-term consequences of prolonged isolation.

Forced self-isolation negatively affects their

emotional state and contributes to symptomatic

manifestations of severe depressive conditions,

anxiety, neurosis and PTSD, and students in this

situation are at risk. I.V. Koltsov, and V.V. Dolganin

pointed out long-term post-covid stress and the

impossibility of getting out of it without the use of

special rehabilitation measures and medical and

psychological support of students during the period of

self-isolation.

These conditions can negatively affect individual

and collective psychological health, therefore, it is

necessary to plan and develop effective strategies to

reduce the negative psychological consequences

associated with a pandemic.

2 STUDY METHODS

The aim of this study was to study the individual-

typological characteristics and psychological

characteristics of the personality of students, which

contribute to the formation of depressive symptoms

of various severity during a pandemic and forced self-

isolation. The main empirical components of this

study took place in three stages, which included

testing according to various indicators during the

period of students coming out of self-isolation.

The study was carried out on the basis of the

Dagestan State Medical University. Achievement of

the set goal was subject to the informed consent of the

students. The empirical base of the study was 208

students. The age group of the investigators ranged

Inﬂuence of Individual-Typological Characteristics on the Formation of Depressive Symptoms during Distance Learning in Conditions of

Self-isolation and COVID-19: On the Example of DSMU Students

from 19 to 21 years old. The distribution of the

sample by gender was equalized.

The mental health examination procedure

reflected the presence of symptoms of depression, for

the level of which we used the Russian-language

version of the PHQ9 screening test recommended by

the National Medical Research Center for Therapy

and Preventive Medicine.

The procedure for the study of personal

characteristics was carried out using the questionnaire

of dominant character traits of K. Leonhard - G.

Shmishek designed to diagnose the type of

accentuation of the personality character.

Psychological personality traits were studied by

means of an individual-typological questionnaire by

L.N. Sobchak (ITQ).

Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20

for Windows.

3 STUDY RESULTS

To determine depressive symptoms, we used the

Russian-language version of the PHQ9 depression

screening test. Its advantages are ease of use and

linguistic adaptation. It has 5 scales, depending on the

number of points of which the severity of the

depressive state is distributed:

- from 1 to 4 - absent

- from 4 to 10 - no intervention required

- from 11 to 15 - requires minimal escort

- from 16 to 20 - requires a visit to a doctor

- from 21 to the threshold - requires medical

attention and medication.

In our study, we defined the distribution of the

first scale data as the absence of signs of depression.

The second and third scales as the presence of signs

of mild depression. Scores on the fourth scale were

associated with moderate severity of depression. The

distributions on the fifth scale were assigned to the

risk category for severe depression.

The presence of the severity of depression at this

stage shall have shown the number of students whose

quality of life worsened and there were certain

emotional disorders, expressed by depressive

symptoms. The quantitative data obtained with PHQ

9 was distributed as follows. 43 students (20.68 %)

had no signs of depression. Signs of mild depression

were observed in 126 students ( 61. 00 %). A

moderate severity of the depressive state was

observed in 37 students (17.32 %). Signs of a severe

depressive state were diagnosed in two students (1 %)

The data obtained allowed us to divide the total

sample into three groups according to the severity of

depressive symptoms.

Therefore, from this population sample, we

formed a sample set of three groups of students to test

our hypothesis that individual-characterological

personality traits correlate with the level of

depression and the severity of its course during forced

self-isolation.

The first group of students consisted of 39

students with moderate and severe levels of

depression. The second group consisted of 45

students with signs of mild depression. The third

group was formed of 43 students who showed no

signs of depression.

The first and second groups of students were

experimental, and the third — control one. All three

groups of students were equal in terms of gender and

age.

The next stage of the study was carried out with

three groups of students and consisted in the study of

the personal characteristics of students for the study

of which we used:

- questionnaire of dominant character traits of K.

Leonhard - G. Shmishek, designed to diagnose the

type of accentuation of the personality character;

- an individual typological questionnaire (ITQ) to

assess the psychological characteristics of a person.

Distribution of dominant character traits when

using the questionnaire (K. Leonhard - G. Shmishek)

showed a combination of the following types of

accentuations:

In the first group of students (with moderate

severity of depression), the distribution of

accentuations was distributed according to the

following types: anxious (78.47 ± 3.95 %), emotive

(63.15 ± 4.99 %), dysthymic (56.41 ± 3.96 %), stuck

(53.78 ± 5.21 %).

In the second group of students (with mild signs

of depression), the distribution of accentuation types

was somewhat different, and such types as emotive

(71.49 ± 3.99 %), stuck (61.49 ± 5.1 %), anxious

(47.21 ± 4.1 %), demonstrative (41.34 ± 4.9 %),

hyperthymic (32.22 ± 4.9 %).

The distinctive characteristics of the control group

in relation to the subjects of the comparative

(experimental groups) were the absence of

accentuations (91.00 ± 5.01 %).

4 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Signs of a severe depressive state were found in 2

girls out of 208 who took part in the testing. Most of

RTCOV 2021 - II International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference " COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

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the surveyed students — 126 out of 208 surveyed,

which is 62 %— still have symptoms of mild

depression with a large advantage of girls. There were

no signs of depression in 43 (20.68 %) students out of

208, most of whom were young men. Therefore, the

presence of depressive symptoms of various severity

levels during a pandemic and forced self-isolation

was recorded in 79, 32 % of students. At the same

time, 20.68 % of students have no depressive

symptoms.

The distribution of character accentuations

affecting the occurrence of depressive symptoms of

various severity showed the presence of statistically

significant differences in personality characteristics

(at p = <0.001).

The general characterological features of the

personality of students with severe and moderate

severity of depressive states to the group of students

are the course of depressive symptoms, which is

represented by a milder form, were the presence of

such types of character accentuations as –emotive

type (63.15 % to 71.49 %) – high rates as in the first

group of subjects and the second one.

The anxious type is higher in the first group than

in the second one (from 78.47 % to 47.21 %). The

stuck type is higher in the second sample than in the

first one (from 61.49 % to 53.48 %).

Distinctive features were: for the first group –

dysthymic type (56.41 %) not identified in the second

group and demonstrative (41.34 %) with a

hyperthymic type (32.22), which was not present in

the first group.

We determined the psychological characteristics

of the personality using the individual typological

questionnaire of L.N. Sobchak (ITQ), which was

carried out only with the first two groups of samples.

The first group of subjects was characterized by

the presence of emotional susceptibility and

pessimism in assessing the prospects, they are labile,

prone to rigid fixation on anxiety factors, introverted

and have communication problems that enhance the

formation of depressive symptoms.

In the second group of subjects, there were both

common and distinctive psychological traits in

comparison with the first group of students and were

distributed as follows – they are also anxious,

sentimental, prone to emotional involvement, labile,

but unlike the first group of subjects, they are

characterized by extraversion, which in combined

with dysthymia and demonstrativeness during the

period of self-isolation leads to a decline in mood and

frustration.

In the course of a comparative analysis of the

individual-typological characteristics of the

personality of students who tend to fall into a

depressive state during the period of forced self-

isolation, it was revealed that formation of depressive

symptoms is characterized by the dominance of the

following personal properties: a high level of

sentimentality, anxiety, lability of the nervous

system, with a significantly pronounced tendency to

rigidity. Wherein, the lack of communication during

the period of forced self-isolation as a situational

factor in formation of socio-psychological

maladjustment increases mental stress during this

period and leads to frustration, contributing to the

bifurcation of depressive symptoms, determined by

the individual typological characteristics of the

individual.

5 CONCLUSION

Currently, there is a need to study post-covid

manifestations and their impact on the mental health

of the younger generation. The intensity of aggressive

outbursts in recent years proves that the consequences

of a pandemic are determined not only by the

penetration of the virus into the human body. The

purpose of this paper was to study the personality

characteristics of students and the effect of self-

isolation and other quarantine measures on the mental

health of students to determine the targets of

psychotherapeutic work and further rehabilitation

measures, as well as to determine the relationship of

character accentuations with various indicators of

psychological well-being, expressed in an increase in

depressive symptoms during the period of self-

isolation.

The analysis of the data obtained allows us to

conclude that most of the students during a pandemic

and forced self-isolation have mental health

disorders, expressed by mild depressive symptoms,

the formation of which is influenced by the

personality type, contributing to the aggravation of

the psychopathological state.

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