Evaluation and analysis of anxiety and depression symptoms for college students during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background The mental health of students is affected by COVID-19. We aim to evaluate the anxiety and depression symptoms among college students during COVID-19 pandemic, analyze the influence factors that contribute to college students’ anxiety and depression symptoms, and provide some suggestions for improving the mental health of college students. Methods With 179 college students participating, an online questionnaire consisting of a general questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was conducted in universities in Shanghai. The anxiety and depression symptoms among college students were evaluated using GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales, and influence factors were analyzed using an unordered multi-class Logistic regression model. Results The reliability and validity of the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales were good (reliability ≥ 0.9, validity = 100%). The incidence of anxiety was 32.4%, of which were 23.5%, 8.4%, and 0.6% in mild, moderate, and severe, respectively; and the incidence of depression was 46.40%, of which in mild, moderate, moderate to severe, and severe were 28.5%, 10.1%, 7.3%, and 0.6%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that male students with strong psychological quality, who were not easily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, who received less negative or false information, and who had a strong grasp of psychology and related knowledge were less likely to suffer from mild or moderate anxiety symptoms [OR (95% CI) 0.18 (0.04, 0.81), 0.12 (0.05, 0.33), 0.23 (0.06, 0.89) and 0.07 (0.01, 0.74)]. Furthermore, college students who were not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic were less likely to suffer from mild, moderate, and moderate to severe depression symptoms [OR (95% CI) 0.23 (0.08, 0.65), 0.22 (0.05, 0.93), 0.10 (0.02, 0.54)]. Conclusion The GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales are suitable for evaluating anxiety and depression symptoms in college students. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a high incidence of anxiety and depression symptoms among college students, although gender and mental state fluctuations during the pandemic, negative and false information, and exposure to psychology and related courses were the main influencing factors.

Association of gastrointestinal symptoms and skipping breakfast with anxiety and depressive symptoms in quarantined Chinese college students during the Shanghai 2022 lockdown: a cross sectional survey

“…Zhan et al, reported that 43.77% of college students showed depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic normalization in China [ 49 ]. During the COVID-19 outbreak period, Gao et al found 32.4% and 46.4% of Chinese college students showed anxiety and depressive symptoms [ 39 ]. Compared to studies conducted in a normal period, a relatively higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms was showed in this study.…”

“…Previous studies have shown that college students were vulnerable to mental problems [ 36 – 38 ] and suffer from more negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 39 ] than before the pandemic [ 40 ]. Gao et al documented the prevalence of anxiety and depression were 32.4% and 46.4% among college students during the COVID-19 outbreak [ 39 ]. Most of the research on college students’ psychological problems was carried out in the normalization stage of the COVID-19 pandemic [ 41 , 42 ].…”

Sociodemographic and educational factors associated with mental health disorders in medical students of clinical years: A multicenter study in Peru

“…We found a higher prevalence of depression compared to other studies. In Shanghai universities, a prevalence of 46.2% was found, with males being the least affected; in Czech and Slovak university students, 52% and 47%, respectively [ 27 – 29 ]. However, in relation to the prevalence of mental health symptoms, our results are similar to those reported in a study carried out in Morocco that showed high levels of mental health symptoms especially women, who are in the preclinical stage and live in regions with a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases, where the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 77.6% and 67.3%, respectively [ 30 ].…”

Psychological correlates of perceived loneliness in college students before and during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period: a longitudinal study

“…As universities suspended classroom teaching and switched to online teaching, university staff worked from home, and all buildings were closed, the lives of college students changed drastically. Cross-sectional data collected early in the pandemic period suggested that college students were disproportionately affected by stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness due to reduced social interactions, lack of social support, and newly arising stressors associated with the COVID-19 crisis [28,[34][35][36][37]. Despite distress and loneliness, personal resilience, positive coping behavior, and adequate social support were factors useful to cope with the burden associated with the pandemic [38][39][40].…”