Stress in etim students in the setting of the covid-19 epidemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a significant stressor. Understanding and assessing the impacts that the pandemic brings to people is a way to help professionals design mental health care strategies. In this scenario, research carried out with students is highlighted to assess the pandemic's repercussions on education. However, most of these studies investigate undergraduate and graduate students. There is limited research exploring the reality of students in Integrated Technical Education to Middle School (Ensino Técnico Integrado ao Médio - Etim). Therefore, the present study sought to assess the stress among Etim students during the Covid-19 pandemic on a campus of the Federal Institute of Paraíba. Forty-six third-year students participated in this study. For data collection, an open questionnaire we used to identify the stressors perceived by Etim students and the Educational Stress Scale-Adolescents. For data analysis, the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program, Windows version 18, and the R Program version 3.5.2 were used for item selection and point calculations of the factors proposed by the scale, according to the Educational Stress Scale-Adolescents (ESA) methodology. The data analysis pointed out that the main stressors related to remote learning were difficulty managing the new routine, accumulating school activities, and missing face-to-face contact with colleagues, teachers, and the school community. The most prevalent symptoms of stress were those related to the Interpersonal and Cognitive factors, respectively. The predominant stress phase among students is related to the Resistance and Exhaustion factors. We conclude that interpersonal relationships are prominent for these students since their absence contributes to the increased stress that interferes with school difficulties. For this reason, it is necessary to take a critical look at remote teaching since this model presents barriers to learning.