Assessing social support impact on depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during the COVID-19 pandemic of China

Abstract

Following the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China, undergraduate students may experience psychological changes. During emergency circumstances, social support is an important factor influencing the mental health condition among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province. This study aims to find the factors associated with mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted from Feb 23 to Mar 7, 2020. A total of 1278 undergraduate students from the universities located in Shaanxi province participated in this study. The mental health symptoms were measured by 12-item Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) instruments. This survey showed that females receive more social support compared to males (t = -5.046, P<0.001); males have higher-level depression symptoms (t = 5.624, P<0.001); males have higher-level anxiety symptoms (t = 6.332, P<0.001), males have higher-level stress symptoms (t = 5.58, P<0.001). This study also found participants who have low social support was negatively correlated with mental health symptoms. In Conclusion, Males and low social support were associated with having the higher level of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Therefore, it is suggested that people should supply more social support for undergraduate students in Shaanxi province during COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Related Stress and Mental Health Outcomes 1 Year After the Peak of the Pandemic Outbreak in China: the Mediating Effect of Resilience and Social Support

“…Thus, understanding the importance of these psychological factors help with the improvement of Chinese's resilience, especially when being involved in a stressful environment arising from pandemic. Similarly, social support was negatively associated with stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms in China ( 59 ). Hence, public health management is encouraged to facilitate policies that include training in resilience and supplying social support to attenuate the negative mental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve post-traumatic growth.…”

Prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms among the young adults during the post-epidemic period — Evidence from the first wave of COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China

“…This difference may be due to differences in how males and females respond to depression. Specifically, males tended to deal with depression primarily by enhancing outdoor and physical activities, while females tended to handle it through emotional release, diverse social networks or religion ( Guo et al, 2021 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ). However, outdoor and physical activities were greatly restricted due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which may exacerbate depressive symptoms in females ( Qi et al, 2021 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ).…”

“…However, outdoor and physical activities were greatly restricted due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which may exacerbate depressive symptoms in females ( Qi et al, 2021 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, in traditional Chinese concepts, males face higher family responsibilities and financial pressure and carry heavier expectations in the society than females ( Guo et al, 2021 ; Qi et al, 2021 ). At the same time, compared with the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the focus of attention in the post-epidemic period has shifted to work and development, whereas the economic downturn has increased the psychological and economic double burden on males.…”

The Influence of Research Follow-Up during COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Distress and Resilience: A Multicenter Cohort Study of Treatment-Resistant Depression

“…The result is consistent with the current findings. Moreover, perceived social support was regarded as correlate with coping strategy and less depression or anxiety [ 38 , 39 ], indicating the critical role of support from others during the pandemic. In this study, the TRD patients in the follow-up group had better-coping behavior in response to the life situations during the pandemic than their counterparts without periodical follow-ups.…”