Online Mental Health Survey in a Medical College in China During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei province, has led to the quarantine of many residents in their homes, in order to mitigate its spread. Some of these people developed mental health problems, and many solutions have been put in place to address the mental health issues of patients and health professionals affected by the disease. However, not much attention has been given to students, particularly those from medical school. The present study aims to conduct an online survey to investigate the mental health status of students from a medical college in Hubei province. Materials and Methods: The WeChat-based survey program Questionnaire Star, which contained questions from Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), was utilized for the present study. Results: A total of 217 students participated in the survey. Among these students, 127 were female and 90 were male. Furthermore, 77 students (35.5%) who participated in the survey were in a state of depression, and 48 (22.1%) were in a state of anxiety. The majority of students who were in depressed (n=75) or anxiety (n=46) states had mild or moderate states. There were no significant differences in students in terms of gender, geographical location, and grade, for the prevalence of depression and anxiety. Conclusion: The present study implies that universities need to take measures to prevent, identify, and deal with mental health problems among students during large-scale stressors.

Literature Review: Risk Factos Affecting College Student’s Mental Disorder During Covid19 Pandemic

“…Psychological effects can be overcome by using DASS and known psychological effects are 3 problems with mental, depression, stress. This is in line with a study in China that was followed by medical college student which also used GAD-7 and PHQ to measure mental disorder disorders in students during the COVID pandemic (19). The results showed as many as 35.5% of students experienced depression, 22.1% managed to overcome and overall to a moderate level.…”

“…The Covid19 pandemic affects the mental condition of infected patients and also those who forced to stayed at home (social distancing). The 7 articles analyzed are several countries that have high Covid19 cases, namely China (17)(18)(19) the United States, the Netherlands, pain, and Israel (20)(21)(22)(23).…”

“…Many solutions to overcome mental disorder when a pandemic can be used by individuals. A study in China shows that mental disorder education is done online using social networks and applications such as WeChat, Weibo, and TikTok (19). When the SARS epidemic was happened, suggestion to deal with coping stress on students by providing counseling services (19).…”

“…The method to measure the level of mental disorder in several articles is the same as follows, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (18)(19).…”

How is The Coronavirus Outbreak Affecting The Daily Lives of University Students?

“…Emotional functions closely associated with various emotions dominant that arise, particularly in students exposed to a direct impact on everyday life. A long time during the conduct of insulation in the house and a variety of conjunction with the risks that may occur during a pandemic can lead to depression and anxiety (33). The majority of students are nomads who finally decided to return to his hometown during a pandemic.…”