ABSTRACT
The present study aims to examine the main and interactive relations of COVID-19-related stressors, coping, and online learning satisfaction with Chinese adolescents' adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 850 adolescents from three Chinese secondary schools participated in the survey during the pandemic outbreak, and the data were analyzed by hierarchical linear regression. The results show that COVID-19-related stressors were a vulnerability factor in predicting adjustment. Adolescents' adjustment could be attributed to both individual-level (e.g., coping) and class-level (e.g., a class-level indicator of coping) characteristics. Specifically, problem-based coping and online learning satisfaction can promote adolescents' adjustment directly or serve as a buffer against the negative impact of stressors on adjustment, while emotion-based coping is a vulnerability factor in predicting adjustment directly or as a risk factor in strengthening the relation between stressors and adjustment. Compared with male adolescents and adolescents with high socio-economic status, female and impoverished adolescents reported poorer adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings enrich our understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' adjustment and are helpful in improving adolescents' adjustment during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
This study examines the main and interactive relations of stressors and social support with Chinese college students' psychological symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression) during the COVID-19 pandemic. All the constructs are assessed by self-report in an anonymous survey during the pandemic outbreak. The results show that the number of stressors has a positive relation with psychological symptoms, and social support has a negative relation with psychological symptoms. In addition, social support serves as a buffer against the negative impact of stressors. These findings hold implications for university counseling services during times of acute, large-scale stressors. Specifically, effective screening procedures should be developed to identify students who experience large number of stressors and provide suitable psychological intervention for them.