Mental Health, Alcohol Consumption, and Partnerships After the Third Wave During the Corona Pandemic - A Comparison of German Psychology Students and Other Students

Abstract

Background. At the end of winter and in spring 2021, Germany experienced the third wave of the corona pandemic leading to a strict lockdown. This study compares psychology students and students of other subjects in terms of their mental health, alcohol consumption, and partnerships after the third wave during the corona pandemic. Methods. The study sample consists of n = 127 (female: n = 108, male: n = 19) psychology students and n = 579 (female: n = 322, male: n = 257) students of other subjects from the TU Braunschweig in Germany. These students participated in an online survey in June and July 2021. The comparison was performed separately for women and men. The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were used to assess depressive mood problems and worrying. Results. Significantly fewer female psychology students were above the cut-off for clinically relevant mood problems (31.5%), worrying (22.2%), and both simultaneously (19.4%) compared to other female students (mood: 66.1%; worrying: 41.9%; both: 39.8%). The small sample of male psychology students showed similar tendencies; however, the results were not significant. While female psychology students rated their general health and life satisfaction significantly higher, male psychology students had significantly fewer concerns about their professional future compared to their respective counterparts. No significant effects were found for alcohol consumption and partnerships. Conclusion. We found hints that psychology students, especially female students, appear to be less psychologically distressed in terms of depressive mood problems and worrying during the corona pandemic. Better mental health knowledge could be a possible explanation for these findings.