Impact of COVID-19 on health-related quality of life in students and PhD students: a systematic review

Historically, epidemics have always posed a global threat to humanity not only in terms of health and its domains – physical, social, and psychological – but also in all spheres of human existence, including the economic, social, political, ethnocultural, and religious. Regardless of their cause or route of spread, the measures taken to limit the epidemics that have occurred have always aimed to restrict human activities in different ways and to varying degrees. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of anti-epidemic measures against the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related quality of life in a target group – students and PhD students. Materials and methods: We conducted a systematic review of scientific publications in journals referenced and indexed in world-renowned databases using keywords – a total of 90. We applied the criteria system of the PICOS tool to assess outcomes. Results and discussion: We found a high frequency of anxiety, depressive symptoms, stress, insomnia, and reduced quality of life in the observed population of 13,704 students and PhD students. The negative impact of the pandemic on the mental health and quality of life of students and PhD students is complex and multifactorial. The importance of the university environment, not only as an academic space but also as a social and health space, can play a key role in building resilience among young people in future crisis situations.