Prevalence of and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among French university students 1 month after the COVID-19 lockdown

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine measures have sparked debate regarding their traumatic nature. This cross-sectional study reports the prevalence rate of probable post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and associated factors among French university students. A total of 22,883 students completed the online questionnaire. The prevalence rate of probable PTSD, assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, was 19.5% [19.0–20.0]. Female (1.32 [1.21–1.45]) or non-binary gender (1.76 [1.35–2.31]), exposure to a non-COVID-19-related traumatic event (3.37 [3.08–3.67]), having lived through quarantine alone (1.22 [1.09–1.37]), poor quality of social ties (2.38 [2.15–2.62]), loss of income (1.20 [1.09–1.31]), poor quality housing (1.90 [1.59–2.26]), low-quality of the information received (1.50 [1.35–1.66]) and a high level of exposure to COVID-19 (from 1.38 [1.24–1.54] to 10.82 [2.33–76.57] depending on the score) were associated with PTSD. Quarantine was considered potentially traumatic by 78.8% of the students with probable PTSD. These findings suggest the pandemic context and lockdown measures could have post-traumatic consequences, stimulating debate on the nosography of PTSD.

Exposure to COVID-19 during the First and the Second Wave of the Pandemic and Coronavirus-Related PTSD Risk among University Students from Six Countries—A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

“…The repeated cross-sectional research among French students revealed that 16.40% of students developed probable PTSD in the second measurement. The increase in the second measurement [ 25 ] can explain the high prevalence at the screening level (Cutoff Point 25) in our sample (78.20%).…”

“…The lowest proportion of students exposed to worsening economic during W2 was noted in Germany (29.92%), while the highest (over 50%) in Poland, Ukraine, and Turkey, at 72.14%, 70.41%, and 63.78%, respectively. In contrast, the proportion of French students who reported a loss of income was significantly lower and reached only 18.30% in June–July 2020 [ 25 ]. In accordance with our expectations, the rate of students who experience worsening economic status due to the pandemic was significantly lower in Russia during W2 due to the significant wave of the restrictions, whereas it was higher in Poland, where the restrictions were more stringent.…”

“…There are inconsistent data regarding the prevalence of PTSD in the student population. In French university students one month after the COVID-19 lockdown, the prevalence of PTSD risk measured by the PCL-5 (Cutoff Score 32) was 19.50% [ 25 ]. Among Chinese college students, using the abbreviated PCL, conducted in February 2020, the prevalence was 31% [ 24 ].…”

“…However, Chi et al [ 24 ] revealed that in a sample of Chinese students ( n = 2038), the prevalence of clinically relevant PTSD reached 30.8% during the pandemic. Among a large sample of French university students ( n = 22883), the rate of probable PTSD one month after the COVID-19 lockdown was 19.5% [ 25 ].…”

“…The research showed a significant association between exposure to COVID-19 and the severity of PTSD symptoms in university student samples [ 25 , 31 ]. General exposure to COVID-19 turned out to be a significant risk factor for anxiety in Czech, Polish, Turkish, and Ukrainian university students while irrelevant for anxiety in Colombian, German, Israeli, Russian, and Slovenian students during the first wave of the pandemic [ 32 ].…”