How Have COVID-19 Isolation Policies Affected Young People’s Mental Health? – Evidence From Chinese College Students

Chen, Bo; Sun, Jiangtao; Feng, Yi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01529

Cited by 153 publications

(171 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In addition, the relationship of stress with depression we observed concurs with some of the previous studies (Agoston and Rudolph, 2011;Slavich and Irwin, 2014;Park et al, 2019). The relationships between stress and anxiety and between anxiety and depression have been described previously (Díaz et al, 2012;Chen et al, 2020a). However, the influence of stress on depression, mediated by anxiety, during the social isolation caused by the pandemic, has not been described before in the literature.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Undergraduate students at university have been observed to be more fearful of COVID-19 than graduates (Reznik et al, 2020). In addition, according to some studies, the symptoms of anxiety and depression among these students are increasing due to social distancing and lockdown laws (Chen et al, 2020a;Mazza et al, 2020;Santini et al, 2020).…”

Section: Fear Of Covid-19 Stress Anxiety and Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fear of COVID-19, Stress, and Anxiety in University Undergraduate Students: A Predictive Model for Depression

et al. 2020

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Depression is a disabling illness which increases the risk of suicide. The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a rise in fear, anxiety, stress, and depression among the population: of these, university undergraduates from countries severely affected by COVID-19 are some of the most vulnerable of all, as they face strict lockdown measures and have fewer resources to cope with it. The aim of this study was to analyze the levels of fear of COVID-19, stress, anxiety, and depression during lockdown among undergraduates from Ecuador, and to test these possible predictors of depression using a model taken from our study of the scientific literature. A total of 640 undergraduates (72% women) between 18 and 47 years old (M = 21.69; S.D = 4.093) were surveyed. The resulting mean levels found for stress, anxiety, and depression were above levels considered non-pathological. Women showed higher levels of fear of COVID-19 than men. The statistical prediction for depression showed a good fit. This depression could be related: both directly and positively by fear of COVID-19 and stress, and indirectly, as a result of these two factors, positively mediated by anxiety. Our study concludes by highlighting the important role that the complex relationships between fear, stress, and anxiety can play in the development of depression symptoms and how they can be taken into account in programs aimed at preventing and alleviating this disorder. We propose some general measures for reducing fear of COVID-19 and stress and suggest that specific programs be designed to control and overcome anxiety among undergraduates.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Fear Of Covid-19 Stress Anxiety and Depressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear of COVID-19, Stress, and Anxiety in University Undergraduate Students: A Predictive Model for Depression

et al. 2020

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“…The first factor, labeled Relationships and Academic Life, comprised four items covering perceived stress related to relationships with relatives, relationships with colleagues, relationships with professors, and academic studying. Indeed, considering that students' daily routine have been subject to specific changes (Cao et al, 2020;Chen et al, 2020;Lee, 2020b), this first factor fostered a greater understanding of the dimensions characterizing these modifications among university students in terms of relationships and academic life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different studies exploring factors associated to COVID-19 outbreak among university students highlighted high levels of anxiety and worries about academic delays and influence of the epidemic on daily life, due to the disruption in students' daily routine, in terms of activities, objectives and social relationships (Cao et al, 2020;Chen et al, 2020;Lee, 2020b;Sahu, 2020). Indeed, the quarantine hindered the possibility to experience the university life, impacting on academic studying (i.e., uncertainties related to annulment/delays of activities, difficulties in employment of online platforms for the distance learning), but also impairing the possibility to benefit from the relationships that may represent anchor in students' life, such as those with peers, colleagues, and professors (Lee, 2020b;Sahu, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Evaluate Students’ Stressors Related to the Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown

2020

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Clinical observations suggest that during times of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown university students exhibit stress-related responses to fear of contagion and to limitations of personal and relational life. The study aims to describe the development and validation of the 7-item COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire (CSSQ), a measurement tool to assess COVID-19-related sources of stress among university students. The CSSQ was developed and validated with 514 Italian university students. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted with one split-half sub-sample to investigate the underlining dimensional structure, suggesting a three-component solution, which was confirmed by the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with the second one split-half sub-sample (CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.06). The CSSQ three subscales measure COVID-19 students' stressors related to (1) Relationships and Academic Life (i.e., relationships with relatives, colleagues, professors, and academic studying); (2) Isolation (i.e., social isolation and couple's relationship, intimacy and sexual life); (3) Fear of Contagion. A Global Stress score was also provided. The questionnaire revealed a satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.71; McDonald's omega = 0.71). Evidence was also provided for convergent and discriminant validity. The study provided a brief, valid and reliable measure to assess perceived stress to be used for understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown among university students and for developing tailored interventions fostering their wellbeing.

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“…Research initially focused mainly on the impact of COVID-19 on physical health and its clinical characterization (e.g., Cao and Li, 2020;Lvov et al, 2020), with studies on the psychological impact of the quarantine subsequently beginning to appear (e.g., Wang and Zhao, 2020). Findings of all studies (the first of these on the Chinese population, and soon after on other populations of Western countries) revealed a significant and severe increase in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress levels due to confinement (e.g., Chen et al, 2020;Wang and Zhao, 2020) which was generally more pronounced in women than in men (Rodríguez-Rey et al, 2020;Wang and Zhao, 2020;Flesia et al, 2020). Moreover, as recent reviews suggest (Brooks et al, 2020;Hossain et al, 2020), other negative psychological effects, such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, anger, panic, irritability, low self-esteem, and lack of self-control, are commonly found among individuals affected by physical isolation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COnVida-20(1)

Padrón¹,

Fraga²,

Vieitez³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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An increasing number of studies have addressed the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the general population. Nevertheless, far less is known about the impact in specific populations such as university students, whose psychological vulnerability has been shown in previous research. This study sought to examine different indicators of mental health in university students during the Spanish lockdown; we also analyzed the main sources of stress perceived by students in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, and the coping strategies adopted when faced with the situation. Data was collected from 932 students (704 women) through a web-based platform. Measures of anxiety (i.e., GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), irritability and self-perceived change in mental health were administered, as well as ad hoc measures of stressors and coping strategies. Results indicated that students experienced considerable psychological problems during the confinement, with higher rates of emotional difficulties in women and undergraduate students than in men and postgraduates, respectively. Psychological distress was mainly related to several specific domains of stressors, as perceived by the participants: academic future, task overload, worsening of interpersonal conflicts, and restrictions in pleasant social contact; and far less related to the spread of the disease and its consequences for physical health. As regards coping strategies, both reframing skills and daily routines were shown to be the most effective. A path-analysis model integrating stressors, coping, and mental health revealed that coping strategies partially channeled the effect of stressors on psychological health. In general, results suggest that students’ psychological health was substantially affected by the COVID-19 situation and that the academic and relational changes were the most notable sources of stress. This study reinforces the need to monitor and promote mental health in university students to boost resilience in times of crisis. Our results on effective coping strategies may inform preventive programs aimed at helping students to deal with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.

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How Have COVID-19 Isolation Policies Affected Young People’s Mental Health? – Evidence From Chinese College Students

Cited by 153 publications

References 19 publications

Fear of COVID-19, Stress, and Anxiety in University Undergraduate Students: A Predictive Model for Depression

Fear of COVID-19, Stress, and Anxiety in University Undergraduate Students: A Predictive Model for Depression

COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Evaluate Students’ Stressors Related to the Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown

COnVida-20(1)

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