Comparison of the levels of mental health at the different times of coronavirus disease 2019 in China college student

Abstract

Objective: Comparing levels of mental health including general psychological symptoms, stress and insomnia among college students at different times during the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in China. Methods: Two cross-sectional survey studies were conducted with 503 isolated college students through the questionnaire STAR platform. Of these, 300 students participated in February 2020 and 203 students participated in May 2022. Information collected included demographic and psychological stress measures, mental health scales including the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) to assess sleep, the Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20) to assess general psychological symptoms, and the China Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS) to assess stress. ANOVAs were conducted on factors associated with mental health outcomes. Results: From 2020 to 2022, levels of insomnia (p=0.001), anxiety/depression (p=0.001) and stress (p<0.001) decreased significantly. in February 2020, 42.67% of participants exhibited symptoms of insomnia, 16.67% exhibited anxiety/depression symptoms and 96.67% exhibited stress symptoms. in May 2022, the percentage of insomnia decreased to 28.08%, anxiety/depressive symptoms to 6.90% and stressful situations to 68.97%. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 disease pandemic, college students participating in the survey had significantly better sleep, significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress in 2022 compared to 2020. Despite this, high levels of stress remain, indicating that college students are suffering from a high psychological burden, and targeted interventions to promote mental health are recommended.