Fear of Infection and Depressive Symptoms among German University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant psychological impact at the population level and fear of infection is one of the stressors involved. The study aimed to examine fear of infection and associations with university students’ depressive symptoms, substance use, and social contacts during the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany in May 2020. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted at four German universities (n = 5.021, 69% female, mean age: 24 years) as part of the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study. Fear of infection was assessed using self-generated items, depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Scale (CES-D-8). Associations between fear of infection and depressive symptoms were analyzed with linear regressions, controlling for sociodemographic variables. A total of 34% of the participants reported feeling worried about getting infected themselves, 75% were worried about someone from their personal network getting infected, and 78% feared that individuals close to them would get severely ill after infection. Sixteen percent of the variance of depressive symptoms could be explained by fear of infection (p ≤ 0.001). Students’ fear of infection should be considered in student communication and counseling to prevent worsening of mental health in this population.

Learning Stress, Involvement, Academic Concerns, and Mental Health among University Students during a Pandemic: Influence of Fear and Moderation of Self-Efficacy

“…The study results confirm H1 to H3, indicating that university students with higher levels of fear of COVID-19 have greater learning stress (H1), lower levels of learning involvement (H2), and greater academic concerns (H3). These results are consistent with previous research that environmental changes during the pandemic are indeed detrimental to the learning status of college students [ 29 , 32 ].…”

“…Recent studies have found a significant association between fear and stress [ 28 , 29 ]. Based on research that was conducted on student groups, these stress problems are especially acute during the online learning period, when students are concerned about the failure and academic year loss of e-learning [ 30 ].…”

Focus on High School: Factors Associated with Creating Harmony between the Educational Transition and Adolescents’ Well-Being

“…Nearly half of the students in this study exhibited a fear of being infected with COVID-19 that ranged from very high to extremely high, which was higher than that in previous studies in German adolescents (“worried to be personally infected” in 24.6% and “very worried to be personally infected” in 9.6%) [ 30 ] and Chinese adolescents (“Felt extreme fear” in 13.8%) [ 31 ] but comparable to the proportion in young adults in Chile (54.6% reported more fear since the pandemic) [ 32 ]. Students may be concerned about infection not only for themselves but also for their relatives [ 30 ]. Nearly half of the students had elderly relatives in the house, which may explain their fear of infecting their parents or vulnerable groups in their family.…”

Mediating Effects of Social Support and Resilience on the Association between COVID-19-Related Stress and Mental Health in Korean Young Adults

“…COVID-19-related stress can be categorized into fear of infection, difficulties due to social distancing, and anger toward others who do not comply with quarantine guidelines [ 12 ]. First, fear of being infected or infecting others is one of the stressors during COVID-19 pandemic, and impact of fear of COVID-19 infection on mental health including depression and anxiety has been reported [ 13 , 14 ]. Second, mandatory quarantines and social distancing leads to a loss of routine activities and reduced in-person contact with others, which in turn causes feelings of isolation, boredom, and loneliness [ 15 ].…”

“…It has been reported that demographic factors influence depression and anxiety. During the pandemic, gender, residence status, living situation, and financial resource were significantly associated with depression among university students [ 13 ]. Specifically, increased depression and anxiety were associated with females, a younger age [ 1 , 10 ], and lower income [ 1 ].…”