Study Conditions and University Students' Mental Health during the Pandemic: Results of the COVID-19 German Student Well-Being Study (C19 GSWS).

University students are generally vulnerable to mental health problems. This was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when students experienced decisive changes and restrictions in their academic lives. Our study aimed at (a) analysing associations between study conditions and symptoms of depression and anxiety and (b) determining the extent of use and motivation to use student counselling services. The C19 GSWS is a cross-sectional study conducted at five universities in Germany (N = 7203). Descriptive analyses and linear regression models were performed to estimate the associations between study conditions and mental health outcomes. A total of 42.4% of the students felt down, depressed, or hopeless on several days over the past 14 days. Between a third and 44.1% of the students felt burdened by their study conditions. Worse perceived study conditions were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety. Only 7.1% indicated that they had utilised student counselling services, and female gender, enrolment in a bachelor's programme, and having more than 1 reason for utilisation were factors associated with use. The results of our research underline the need for universities to review their study conditions and to provide targeted intervention strategies and counselling services to promote students' mental well-being.

Trends in the availability of community-based psychological counselling services for oldest-old in China, 2005 to 2018.

BACKGROUND: Community-based psychological counselling services (CPCS) is crucial for the oldest-old who often faces challenges or are reluctant to seek care at the healthcare settings. This study aims to examine trends in availability of CPCS over time and rural-urban disparities in service availability among nationwide oldest-old in China. METHODS: Multiple cross-sectional data were derived from the 2005-2018 Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey. Service availability was reported by each oldest-old participant or their next-of-kins as having CPCS in one's neighborhood. We used Cochran-Armitage tests to estimate service availability trends and applied sample-weighted logistic regression models to examine its rural-urban disparities. RESULTS: Of 38,032 oldest-old, CPCS availability decreased from 6.7 % in 2005 to 4.8 % in 2008/2009, followed by continual increases to 13.6 % in 2017/2018. In 2017/2018, rural oldest-old's neighborhoods had no greater service availability. Oldest-old residing in the Central (6.7 %), Western (13.4 %) and Northeast China (8.1 %) were less likely to report having services locally than their Eastern counterparts (17.8 %). Oldest-old having any disability or living in the nursing homes reported having greater service availability than those without disability or living at home. LIMITATION: Service availability might have been disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the increasing service availability, as of 2017/2018, only 13.6 % oldest-old in China had reported CPCS availability. It raises concerns on the disproportionate access to and continuity of mental health care, especially for those living the Central, Western China and those living at home. Policy efforts are needed to incentivize service expansion and eliminate disparities in the service availability.

Counselling Services and Mental Health for International Chinese College Students in Post-Pandemic Thailand

Research has proven that counselling services are essential to solving the troubles in the mental health of international Chinese students in the post-epidemic stage. Online questionnaires were implemented for about 1000 international Chinese college students from three universities in Thailand. Results showed that female junior and senior students who stayed in post-pandemic Thailand longer than others were likely to suffer from mental health disorders. In addition, in Thailand, counselling has a significant positive association with the mental health status of the students. Therefore, it is recommended in this study that Thai universities should provide more counselling services to support students in focusing on education and adjusting or adapting to the environment abroad.

EXPLORING THE CAUSES OF SELECTED CONDUCT DISORDERS AMONG SCHOOL-GOING ADOLESCENTS IN UGANDA AND SOUTH AFRICA

The study's main issue was the causes of selected conduct disorders among adolescents in school. Adolescent conduct disorders emanate from a variety of factors that include social, economic, school, genetic status and parental factors. The purpose of the study was to explore the causes of selected conduct disorders among adolescents in school. The study was qualitative, explorative and phenomenological in nature. The study participants were parents and teachers. Data were collected using online (WhatsApp) focus group discussions due to restrictions brought about by COVID-19 that made physical interaction risky. Data were analysed in an integrative manner using findings from the two countries from parents and teachers, and thematically using themes generated from the outcomes of the online discussions. Findings indicate that conduct disorders among secondary school adolescents are a result of developmental, parental, school, social and academic factors. The study concludes that conduct disorders are recognised among the secondary school adolescents in Uganda and South Africa and pose a challenge to education and affect the proper functioning of schools. From the findings and conclusions, the researchers recommend hands-on parenting, adolescent psycho-social services, guidance and counseling services in schools, career guidance based on students' needs, academic strengths and aspirations, positive peer groups and moderation of punishment at home and at school. This has implications on the need for dynamics in parenting, teacher-student relationships and psycho-social services that are detrimental in building healthy developmental milestones that have a direct impact on behavior and conduct among adolescents.