Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on mental health, wellbeing, sleep, and alcohol use in a UK student sample

Evans, Susan E.; Alkan, Erkan; Bhangoo, Jazmin K.; Tenenbaum, Harriet R.; Ng‐Knight, Terry

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113819

Cited by 257 publications

(301 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in over 79.2 million confirmed cases and 1.7 million deaths globally by 29 December 2020 [ 1 ]. Both the pandemic and the measures taken to control its spread have caused a range of negative personal, social, and economic consequences for the general population, including unemployment, economic uncertainty, anxiety, social isolation, and increased sedentary behaviours [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. There was also a significant increase in the national prevalence of clinical levels of distress and subjective mental health concerns at the early stage of lockdown (April 2020) compared with data from previous years (2018–2019) [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Predictors of University Students’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Data-Driven Approach

Liu

McCabe

Dawson

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed risks to public mental health worldwide. University students, who are already recognised as a vulnerable population, are at elevated risk of mental health issues given COVID-19-related disruptions to higher education. To assist universities in effectively allocating resources to the launch of targeted, population-level interventions, the current study aimed to uncover predictors of university students’ psychological wellbeing during the pandemic via a data-driven approach. Methods: Data were collected from 3973 Australian university students ((median age = 22, aged from 18 to 79); 70.6% female)) at five time points during 2020. Feature selection was conducted via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to identify predictors from a comprehensive set of variables. Selected variables were then entered into an ordinary least squares (OLS) model to compare coefficients and assess statistical significance. Results: Six negative predictors of university students’ psychological wellbeing emerged: White/European ethnicity, restriction stress, perceived worry on mental health, dietary changes, perceived sufficiency of distancing communication, and social isolation. Physical health status, emotional support, and resilience were positively associated with students’ psychological wellbeing. Social isolation has the largest effect on students’ psychological wellbeing. Notably, age, gender, international status, and educational level did not emerge as predictors of wellbeing. Conclusion: To cost-effectively support student wellbeing through 2021 and beyond, universities should consider investing in internet- and tele- based interventions explicitly targeting perceived social isolation among students. Course-based online forums as well as internet- and tele-based logotherapy may be promising candidates for improving students’ psychological wellbeing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Predictors of University Students’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Data-Driven Approach

Liu

McCabe

Dawson

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Another study revealed high rates of anxiety (29.5%) and depression (31.7%) among the student population [ 9 ]. Longitudinal data point to a significant reduction in wellbeing and an increase in depression symptoms, from a baseline of 15% to over a third of the sample at lockdown [ 10 ]. Moreover, the rate of suicidal ideation and thoughts has reached 17.8% for the university population [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Distress among Students in Higher Education: One Year after the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Schmits

Dekeyser

Klein

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychological well-being of students. Several stressors (such as socioeconomic and education-related contexts) could influence mental health, as well as individual and relational dimensions. This study proposes to evaluate the predictive effect of these factors on anxiety and depressive symptoms among students in higher education one year after the beginning of the pandemic. A sample of 23,307 students (Mage = 20.89; SD = 1.96; 69.08% of women) was assessed through an online self-report questionnaire including adapted and validated measures. The main rates were as follows: 50.6% of students presented anxiety symptoms; 55.1% reported depressive symptoms; 20.8% manifested suicidal ideations; 42.4% saw their financial situation deteriorate; 39.1% felt they were dropping out of school. One year after the beginning of the pandemic, students in higher education are anxious and depressed, especially those who identify as women (for both anxiety and depression) and as a non-binary gender (only for anxiety), experience a deterioration in their financial situation, are dropping out of school, or manifest hostility (for both anxiety and depression). The degree of study affects the symptoms’ severity (Bachelor 2 and 3 for anxiety and Master for depression). Contact with family and friends (for both anxiety and depression) as well as regular physical activity (only for depression) should provide some protection against psychological distress. Policy-makers must make a long-term investment in the well-being and positive mental health of the student community.

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“…On depression symptoms, Mexican college students also recorded high frequency of little energy, lost confidence in themselves, hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, feelings of slow motion which were worse in the morning (Figure 3). The significant increase in depression symptoms has been highly correlated with worsened sleep quality, even insomnia (Evans et al, 2021;Marelli et al, 2020;Solomou & Constantini-A. Carrasco-Carballo et al dou, 2020) with higher impact in students from lower socioeconomic level (Rudenstine et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety and Depression among Exact and Natural Science College Students of BUAP-México under COVID-19 Lockdown

Carrasco-Carballo¹,

Luna-Centeno²,

Rojas-Morales³

et al. 2021

OJD

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The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among a population of exact and natural science university students from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP)-México under COVID-19 lockdown. Furthermore, we explored influencing factors pertaining to the online learning environment at home. A total of 502 college students; 192 men (38.2%) and 310 women (61.8%) participated in this cross-sectional web-based survey. A Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS) standardized e-questionnaire was generated using Google Forms, and the link was shared through email. The data collection process was conducted during voluntary COVID-19 lockdown during the second university semester (October-November, 2020) and before the final exams period. The data recovered was analyzed in three consecutive levels, including univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis. The college students experienced high levels of anxiety and depression. The sampled population of men and women was 75.5% and 92.3% respectively measured positive for anxiety, whereas depression was measured at 63.5% and 78.4% respectively. Factors influencing at-home elearning such as internet connection quality, internet cost, status of owning or sharing a PC, inhabitants per household and length of academic program completed were correlated positively with high prevalence (>60%) of anxiety and depression among students. Based on the reported results, we suggest that both the university authorities and government could work together to address these high levels of anxiety and depression to reduce their impact among university students with the ultimate goal of achieving optimal learning during lockdown conditions.

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Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on mental health, wellbeing, sleep, and alcohol use in a UK student sample

Cited by 257 publications

References 40 publications

Identifying Predictors of University Students’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Data-Driven Approach

Identifying Predictors of University Students’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Data-Driven Approach

Psychological Distress among Students in Higher Education: One Year after the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Anxiety and Depression among Exact and Natural Science College Students of BUAP-México under COVID-19 Lockdown

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Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on mental health, wellbeing, sleep, and alcohol use in a UK student sample

Cited by 257 publications

References 40 publications

Identifying Predictors of University Students’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Data-Driven Approach

Identifying Predictors of University Students’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Data-Driven Approach

Psychological Distress among Students in Higher Education: One Year after the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Anxiety and Depression among Exact and Natural Science College Students of BUAP-M&#233;xico under COVID-19 Lockdown

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Product

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About

Anxiety and Depression among Exact and Natural Science College Students of BUAP-México under COVID-19 Lockdown