[Mental Health Status and Its Influencing Factors among College Students during the Epidemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019:A Multi-center Cross-sectional Study].

Objective To measure the prevalence of mental health symptoms and identify the associated factors among college students at the beginning of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)outbreak in China. Methods We carried out a multi-center cross-sectional study via snowball sampling and convenience sampling of the college students in different areas of China.The rates of self-reported depression,anxiety,and stress and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)were assessed via the 21-item Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale(DASS-21)and the 6-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised(IES-6),respectively.Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics,health-related data,and information of the social environment.Data pertaining to mental health service seeking were also collected.Multivariate Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors. Results A total of 3641 valid questionnaires were collected from college students.At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak,535(14.69%)students had negative emotions,among which 402(11.04%),381(10.49%),and 171(4.90%)students had the symptoms of depression,anxiety,and stress,respectively.Meanwhile,1245(34.19%)college students had PTSD.Among the risk factors identified,male gender was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting depression symptoms(AOR=0.755,P=0.037],and medical students were at higher risk of depression and stress symptoms than liberal arts students(AOR=1.497,P=0.003;AOR=1.494,P=0.045).Family support was associated with lower risks of negative emotions and PTSD in college students(AOR=0.918,P<0.001;AOR=0.913,P<0.001;AOR=0.899,P<0.001;AOR=0.971,P=0.021). Conclusions College students were more sensitive to public health emergencies,and the incidence of negative emotions and PTSD was significantly higher than that before the outbreak of COVID-19.More attention should be paid to female college students who were more likely to develop negative emotions.We should strengthen positive and proper propaganda via mass media and help college students understand the situation and impact of COVID-19.Furthermore,we should enhance family support for college students.The government and relevant agencies need to provide appropriate mental health services to the students under similar circumstances to avoid the deterioration of their mental well-being.

Prevalence and Predictors of PTSD During the Initial Stage of COVID-19 Epidemic among Female College Students in China.

BACKGROUND: College students are vulnerable and may experience high stress due to COVID-19, especially girls. This study aims to identify posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related factors among the target population during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In the initial phase of COVID-19 epidemic (February 23 to March 5, 2020), 2205 female college students from six provinces in mainland China were enrolled in this study and completed the online survey about the cognitive status of COVID-19, including the Impact of Event Scale-6, the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale and a self-developed 10-item Perceived threat scale. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed using SPSS software to explore the determinants of PTSD symptoms. RESULTS: PTSD symptoms were prevalent in female college students, and 34.20% met the cut-off for PTSD. Self-reported fair or poor health (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.22-2.59), high concern about COVID-19 (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.35-2.03), beliefs that "COVID-19 can cause a global outbreak" (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.02-1.56), the perception of "risk of infection" (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 2.16-2.81), beliefs that "closed management" and "COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern" would have an impact, and the fear of "impact on life planning" were all positively associated with PTSD (AOR = 1.37, 1.22, and 1.29, respectively); however, perceived social support from family (AOR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.70-0.93) was negatively associated with PTSD. Among the significant variables at the bivariate level, multivariate logistic regression revealed that the greatest protector for PTSD was the high knowledge score (AOR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60-0.90), while had confirmed cases among relatives and friends (AOR = 7.70, 95% CI: 1.28-46.25) was the strongest predictor of PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, PTSD symptoms were prevalent among female college students in China during the COVID-19 epidemic. Targeting vulnerable populations to improve their knowledge about COVID-19 and create an atmosphere of social support would be beneficial. Moreover, the joint efforts from family, school administrators, and policymakers are essential to improve the mental health of the female students during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 on medical care workers in China.

BACKGROUND: Medical care workers experienced unprecedented levels of workload and pressure since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Little is known about its exact impact on medical care workers and related factors in China. This study aims to identify the psychological impact of COVID-19 on medical care workers in China. METHODS: From February 23 to March 5, 2020, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 863 medical care workers from seven provinces in China using standard questionnaires measuring adverse psychological outcomes including Impact of Event Scale-6 (IES-6), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale(DASS)and related psychosocial factors like perceived threat, social support and coping strategies. Exploratory Factor analysis was performed to identify the dimensions of perceived threat by study participants. Multivariate regression was used to examine the determinants of adverse psychological outcomes. RESULTS: Posttraumatic stress (PTS) were prevalent in this sample of health care professionals, and 40.2% indicated positive screens for significant posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. The proportion of having mild to extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress were 13.6, 13.9 and 8.6%, respectively. Perceived threat and passive coping strategies were positively correlated to PTS and DASS scores, while perceived social support and active coping strategies were negatively correlated to DASS scores. Nurses were more likely to be anxious than others among medical care workers during the COVID-19 epidemic. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse psychological symptoms were prevalent among medical care workers in China during the COVID-19 epidemic. Screening for adverse psychological outcomes and developing corresponding preventive measures would be beneficial in decreasing negative psychological outcomes.