Sociodemographic and COVID-Related Predictors for Mental Health Condition of Mainland Chinese in Canada Amidst the Pandemic.

The current study investigates the mental health condition of Mainland Chinese in Canada and identifies the associated sociodemographic and COVID-19-related predictors. A sample of 471 Mainland Chinese aged 18 or older completed an online survey that collected information on demographics, experience, cognition, and behaviours related to the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health condition. Mental health condition was assessed with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) for the depression, anxiety, and stress levels of Mainland Chinese during the pandemic. Moderate to severe depression, anxiety, and stress levels were respectively reported by 11.30%, 10.83%, and 5.10% of respondents. Univariate analysis of variance models (ANOVAs) were conducted to assess mental health condition variance as stratified by independent sociodemographic- or COVID-19-related explanatory variables, to identify possible predictors to be entered into the subsequent regression models. The regression models identified age, income level, health status, and perceived discrimination as significant sociodemographic predictors (absolute value of ßs = 1.19-7.11, ps < 0.05), whereas self-infection worry, attitude towards Canadian measures, information confusion, food/goods stocking, and room cleaning/sanitizing were identified as significant COVID-19-reltaed predictors (absolute value of ßs = 1.33-3.45, ps < 0.05) for mental health outcomes. The results shed light on our understanding of the major factors associated with the mental health condition of Mainland Chinese in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lived Experience of Loss and Resilience Among Mainland Chinese Students in Taiwan During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This qualitative study explored how overseas students experienced loss and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. It involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six university students from China Mainland who returned home for winter vacation and were unable to travel back to Taiwan to attend classes physically in the first half of 2020 because of COVID-19 entry restrictions. Their accounts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two major themes were identified from the analysis: (1) deconstructing the familiar, which included three sub-themes: loss of autonomy and freedom of movement, loss of in-person class, and loss of psychological well-being;and (2) moving forward, which comprised two sub-themes: learning to live with inconvenience and reaching beyond. These findings implied an understanding of loss as deconstructing the familiar and resilience as bouncing forward and reaching beyond. These findings inform future research and help counsellors, mental health professionals, and academics better understand college students' experiences of loss and resilience during the pandemic.

Non-Pathological Psychological Distress among Mainland Chinese in Canada and Its Sociodemographic Risk Factors amidst the Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health inequalities, with a potentially heightened mental health risk for Mainland Chinese in Canada, given the rising anti-Chinese discrimination, and barriers in assessing health services. In this context, this study aimed to assess non-pathological psychological distress towards COVID-19 and identify its sociodemographic risk factors among Mainland Chinese in Canada at the early stages of the pandemic. METHODS: A sample of 731 Mainland Chinese aged 16 or older completed an on-line survey to examine their attitudes, behavioural, and psychological responses towards COVID-19. Non-pathological psychological distress was assessed with a 7-item self-report scale to capture common emotional reactions towards COVID-19. RESULTS: A factor analysis revealed a single-factor structure of the 7-item COVID-19 psychological distress scale (Eigen λ = 3.79). A composite psychological distress index (PDI) score was calculated from these items and used as the outcome variable. Multivariate regression models identified age, financial satisfaction, health status, and perceived/experienced discrimination as significant predictors of psychological distress (ps ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Mainland Chinese in Canada who were over 25, in poor financial/health status, or with perceived/experienced discrimination were at a higher risk for COVID-19-related psychological distress. The health inequity across these factors would inform the services to mitigate mental health risk in minority groups.