Background: The novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has spread rapidly worldwide and poses a global health threat.Aims: This study assessed the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in Chinese students during the COVID-19 pandemic and explored potential moderating factors.Methods: We searched English and Chinese databases using pertinent keywords for articles published and unpublished, up until November 2020. The estimate of the overall prevalence of anxiety and depression was conducted through a random-effects model.Results: A total of 31 cross-sectional studies were included. The overall prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in Chinese students during the COVID-19 pandemic was 24.0% (95% CI [20.0–29.0%]) and 22.0% (95% CI [18.0–27.0%]) respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed that Chinese middle school students were at heightened risk of anxiety, while university students were at heightened risk of depression. Students who lived in higher-risk areas presented severe anxiety and depression, especially during the late period of the COVID-19 epidemic.Conclusions: Overall, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a high prevalence of anxiety in Chinese students and a high prevalence of depression among Chinese students in high-risk areas. Therefore, comprehensive and targeted psychological interventions should be developed to address the mental health of students in different grades, especially in high-risk areas and during the late period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interpersonal trust is significant in the development of society. Attachment theory provides a framework for understanding the trust-building process. Although many studies have investigated the association between attachment and interpersonal trust, controversy still exists regarding their correlation, and the separate effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on interpersonal trust. This meta-analysis summarized the combined relationship between both attachment dimensions and interpersonal trust in adults by including 53 articles reporting 149 effect sizes (N = 45,166). The results revealed that both attachment dimensions were negatively, concurrently, and longitudinally associated with interpersonal trust. Further, subgroup analyses indicated that attachment avoidance was more strongly related to interpersonal trust than attachment anxiety (F(1,291) = 459.568, p < .001). The effect sizes varied across cultures, trust figures, and sample sizes. The effect sizes between attachment anxiety (r=-.038) and attachment avoidance (r=-.15) on interpersonal trust in Chinese studies were both lower than in Western studies. Our results highlight the importance of attachment security in interpersonal relationships.