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Background The social restraints during the COVID-19 mandatory lockdown led young and undergraduate adults living remarkable changes in their daily lives, challenging the feeling of loneliness and the own perception of social isolation. This study aimed to assess and compare the levels of psychological well-being among students from both Santarém and Leiria Polytechnic Institutes. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional correlational study was performed in the period immediately after the first lockdown. Participants were 775 students (females = 73.5%), aged between 17 and 55 years. All of them completed measures of the Psychological Well-Being Manifestation Scale (PWBMS; or EMMBEP, in the Portuguese version, by Monteiro, Tavares e Pereira, 2012) measuring six dimensions, components of the eudaimonic model of well-being. Collected data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows software, Version 27.0. Results The results obtained revealed differences of quality in the scores of the six measured dimensions. If subjective experiences on Mental Balance and Sociability are the best indicators of the well-being, the perception of the lack of Social Involvement and low Happiness appear to be limitative factors to the perceived well-being. We also found significant differences in terms of polytechnic institute attended, gender, age categories, and marital status. Conclusions The obtained results provide the basis to design and develop a targeted intervention main program focused on the empowerment of higher education students. Build a literacy program with health education strategies, starting from their own perceptions and responses to the experienced situations, allows their easy engagement in the promotion of the psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The context of coronavirus on higher education caused upsetting consequences on students' lives. The restrictions on social mobility and the consequent reduction of interpersonal contacts brought them unprecedented stressful situations. The extent and quality of adaptation to these situations, due to the uniqueness of each person's resources, needs to be early known preventing eventual and serious psychological disorders. This study aimed to assess stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate students from both Santarém and Leiria Polytechnic Institutes. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional correlational study was performed in the period immediately after the first lockdown. Participants were 775 students (females = 73.5%), aged between 17 and 55 years. All of them completed measures of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21; in the Portuguese version EADS, by Pais-Ribeiro, Honrado e Leal, 2004). Collected data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows software, Version 27.0. Results According to DASS-21 scoring instructions (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), results showed that most participants had experienced a normal level of depression (72.5%), anxiety (79.7%) and stress (87.6%). However, about 4.7% and 1.8% of respondents, respectively, report a severe or extremely severe level of anxiety or depression. We also found significant differences for the three dimensions in terms of polytechnic institute attended, gender, age categories, and marital status. Conclusions The findings suggest that higher education institutions must understand this phenomenon experienced and develop strategies for improving students' mental health, especially in vulnerable groups. The importance of a transdisciplinary approach is emphasized and the involvement of all educational stakeholders is encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]