Comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms and the related factors among international medical students in China during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The two most prevalent mental health conditions are anxiety and depression and they often coexist (comorbidity) in an individual aggravating the person's psychological or medical conditions. College students suffered from anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to numerous studies. The lack of information on the comorbidity of anxiety and depression (CAD) among international medical students, however, makes it difficult to develop effective policies or strategies to support these students. OBJECTIVE: The present research seeks to investigate the incidence of CAD among international medical students in China and to identify the variables that may be useful in predicting CAD. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted at China Medical University in Shenyang, China, for international medical students during November 2020. A total of 519 international students provided information on their demographics, stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, generalized anxiety disorder assessment (GAD-7), patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), simplified coping style questionnaire (SCSQ), perceived stress scale (PSS-10), the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS), revised life orientation test (LOT-R), and resilience scale-14 (RS-14). To investigate the potential predictors of CAD, a chi-square test, a nonparametric test, and multinomial logistic regression analyses were carried out as appropriate. RESULTS: The incidence of anxiety, depression, and CAD in the current study was 5.8%, 8.9%, and 22.7%, respectively. The predictors for students having symptoms of anxiety were observed to be the negative coping style (ß = 0.662, OR = 1.938, CI:1.07-3.694) and perceived stress (ß = 0.167, OR = 1.181, CI:1.076-1.297); the predictors for students having symptoms of depression were observed to be the COVID-19 pandemic-related stress (ß = 0.323,OR = 1.382,CI:1.211-1.577), negative coping style (ß = 0.693,OR = 2.000, CI:1.21-3.568), and perceived stress (ß = 0.135,OR = 1.145,CI:1.050-1.248); whereas the predictors for students with CAD were observed to be staying up late (Yes VS No) (ß = 1.028,OR = 2.794,CI:1.227-6.364), current place of residence (Other continents VS China) (ß = -1.413, OR = 0.243,CI:0.065-0.910), COVID-19 pandemic-related stress (ß = 0.371,OR = 1.450,CI:1.284-1.636), negative coping style (ß = 1.092,OR = 2.979,CI:1.706-5.203), and perceived stress (ß = 0.339,OR = 1.403,CI:1.289-1.527). CONCLUSION: Single anxiety and depressive symptoms were moderately prevalent among international medical students in China. However, CAD turned out to be the most prevalent mental health issue due to its relatively higher incidence. Negative coping style and perceived stress were the communal predictors of the three categories, whereas stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to both depression and CAD, and staying up late and in residential places were specific predictors for CAD. Study results suggest that COVID-19 pandemic-related stress was related to students' CAD and depressive symptoms, and specific intervention measures with stress reduction, proper coping strategy, and a good lifestyle might be useful in improving the international students' mental health status.

Relationships Between Cross-Cultural Adaption, Perceived Stress and Psychological Health Among International Undergraduate Students From a Medical University During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model.

International university students may be at greater risk for developing psychological problems due to the unique stressors in them, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of present study is to propose and test a moderated mediation model that would illuminate the underlying relationships of cross-cultural adaption, perceived stress and psychological health as well as the moderating effect of optimism and resilience among international medical undergraduates in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted via a web-based survey in November 2020. Electronic informed consents were obtained from all participants. A total of 453 students including 233 males and 220 females aged 18 to 28 years with an average age of 22.09 (SD = 2.73) completed the questionnaires. Symptom Checklist 90, the measurement of cross-cultural adaption, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Life Orientation Test-Revised and the Resilience Scale were used for the survey. Results for the moderated mediation model testing revealed that cross-cultural adaption significantly and negatively associated with the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the Symptom Checklist 90 (ß = -0.24, P < 0.01), and perceived stress partially mediated the relationship. Optimism (ß = -0.29, P < 0.01) and confidence in COVID-19 control (ß = -0.19, P < 0.01) had direct negative effects on perceived stress. Furthermore, optimism and resilience negatively moderated the indirect effect of cross-cultural adaption on psychological health through perceived stress. Findings of this study suggest that university educators ought to promote or make use of programs that cope with stress and boost optimism and resilience in order to support students not only adapt well to a new culture, but also keep good psychological health during the period of COVID-19 pandemic.