Highlights 7.7% of college students showed depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. College students with depressive symptoms had low regulatory emotional self-efficacy. Browsing COVID-19 information over 3 h per day was related to depressive symptoms. Unfavorable living rhythms were associated with depressive symptoms. Pay attention to college students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has considerably psychologically impacted Chinese college students. Several types of online mental health services were widely implemented for college students during the outbreak. This study investigated the relationship between college students' mental health status and psychological helpseeking behavior to test the phases-decision-making model (PDM). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among college students in Guangdong Province using an online platform. In total, 4,164 students were assigned to the "counseling group" or "non-counseling group" according to whether they had sought psychological help because of the COVID-19 outbreak; the groups were matched based on age, sex, and grade. Demographics, perceived mental health, and experience with seeking psychological help were recorded. Fear, depression, and trauma were assessed by the COVID-19 Fear Screening Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, and Impact of Event Scale-6. Results: The fear, depression, and trauma scores were significantly higher in the counseling group than in the non-counseling group (P s < 0.001). Fear (OR = 1.27, p < 0.001), depression (OR = 1.02, p = 0.032), trauma (OR = 1.08, p < 0.001), poor perceived mental health status (OR = 3.61, p = 0.001), and experience with seeking psychological help (OR = 7.06, p < 0.001) increased the odds of seeking psychological help. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 epidemic, the rate of psychological help-seeking was still low, and college students in poor psychological condition sought psychological counseling more. Fear, depression, trauma, experience with seeking psychological help, and perceived mental health can effectively predict psychological help-seeking behavior. These findings emphasized the importance of closely monitoring college students' psychological status, providing psychological intervention, and improving the probability of seeking psychological help.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought unprecedented psychological pressure to people across China and more widely across the entire globe. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate perceptions of COVID-19 among college students in Guangdong Province, China, and to assess the psychological impact of the outbreak. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of college students via online questionnaires between February 13th and February 22nd, 2020. A total of 304,167 students completed the Impact of Event Scale 6 (IES-6) and other items. The results showed that 155,077 (50.9%) of the students reported stress symptoms, 1,565 (0.5%) reported poor mental health, and 9,752 (3.2%) reported poor sleep quality. Analysis indicated that the students' perceptions of COVID-19 were correlated with psychological stress, self-perceived mental health and sleep quality. Moreover, the analysis revealed that the relationship between types of perception and levels of stress symptoms varied according to the students' demographic characteristics. These findings allow us to better understand psychological stress among students and the factors influencing stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding these factors will help us to design intervention programs with the aim of alleviating stress among students and reducing the potential for developing psychological disorders.
Background The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2019 and the resulting quarantine may have increased the prevalence of mental health problems in adolescents. The aim of this study was to explore the association between the effects of home-based learning during the pandemic and the risks of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among junior and senior high school students. Methods An online survey using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) was conducted between 12 to 30 April 2020, on a total of 39,751 students. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of associated depression, anxiety and suicidality during the pandemic. Results Prevalence of depression, anxiety symptoms and suicidality found was 16.3% (95% CI: 16.0, 16.7), 10.3% (95% CI: 10.0, 10.6) and 20.3% (95% CI: 19.9, 20.7), respectively. Participants with female gender and in junior high school, with poor overall sleep quality and poor academic performance and very worried about being infected during COVID-19 were highly associated with the risk of depression, anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation (all P<0.001). Conclusions Prevalence of self-reported mental health problems for adolescents using home-based distance learning was high. Implementing measures (e.g., wearing face masks) and spending only moderate time focusing on COVID-19-related information could be protective factors for mental health. These results provide suggestions for teachers and policy makers regarding adolescent improving sleep quality (sufficient sleep) and academic performance and reducing worry about pandemic during quarantine to prevent mental health problems.
Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a major public health crisis, harms individuals’ mental health. This 3-wave repeated survey aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in a large sample of college students in China. Methods Using a repeated cross-sectional survey design, we conducted 3 online surveys of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic at 22 universities in Guandong, China. The 3 surveys were conducted during the outbreak period (T1: 3 February to 10 February 2020, N = 164,101), remission period (T2: 24 March to 3 April 2020, N = 148,384), and normalized prevention and control period (T3: 1 June to 15 June 2020, N = 159,187). Suicidal ideation was measured by the ninth item of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A range of suicide-related factors was assessed, including sociodemographic characteristics, depression, anxiety, insomnia, pre-existing mental health problems, and COVID-19-related factors. Results The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 8.5%, 11.0% and 12.6% at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Male sex (aOR: 1.35–1.44, Ps < 0.001), poor self-perceived mental health (aOR: 2.25–2.81, Ps < 0.001), mental diseases (aOR: 1.52–2.09, P < 0.001), prior psychological counseling (aOR: 1.23–1.37, Ps < 0.01), negative perception of the risk of the COVID-19 epidemic (aOR: 1.14–1.36, Ps < 0.001), depressive symptoms (aOR: 2.51–303, Ps < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (aOR: 1.62–101.11, Ps < 0.001) were associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation. Conclusion Suicidal ideation appeared to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic remission period among college students in China. Multiple factors, especially mental health problems, are associated with suicidal ideation. Psychosocial interventions should be implemented during and after the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce suicide risk among college students.
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