Associations of problematic smartphone use with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in university students before and after the COVID-19 outbreak: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been suggested to present with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation (SI) as well as sleep disturbance, lack of social support, and emotional isolation. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between PSU with depressive symptoms and SI in university students, and to determine the potential influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. METHODS: Observational studies pertinent to our research were identified through comprehensive searches of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. To account for potential heterogeneity, the random-effects models were employed to aggregate the findings. RESULTS: Eighteen datasets from 17 case-control studies, including 24,019 university students, were included. Among them, 8,775 (36.5 %) had PSU. A higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR]: 2.40, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 2.19 to 2.63, p < 0.001; prediction interval: 1.95 to 2.96) was observed in university students with higher scores for PSU measures. A subgroup analysis showed a stronger association between PSU and depressive symptoms after the COVID-19 outbreak as compared to that before the outbreak (OR: 2.76 versus 2.16, p for subgroup difference = 0.002), which explained the heterogeneity. The association between PSU and depressive symptoms in university students was similar to those reported in studies from China and other countries, and in studies with different quality scores. Finally, a meta-analysis of three studies suggested that PSU was also associated with the prevalence of SI (OR: 2.18, 95 % CI: 1.77 to 2.68, p < 0.001; I2 = 0 %). CONCLUSION: In university students, PSU may be a risk factor for depressive symptoms and SI, and the association between PSU and depressive symptoms became stronger after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Longitudinal study on anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty among Chinese college students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the longitudinal changes and related predictive factors of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) among Chinese college students, so as to provide theoretical reference for promoting students mental health.@*Methods@#Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-short Form and the 7 item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale were administered among 5 683 students from 22 universities in Guangdong Province from September 10 to October 17, 2021 (T1, baseline survey), and from March 15 to April 22, 2023 (T2). Using paired sample t-test to analyze the changes in anxiety and IU among college students, a linear regression model was established to explore factors that can predict anxiety, IU and their changes during T1 and T2 periods.@*Results@#During the T1 period, the average scores of anxiety and IU among college students were (3.26±3.46, 34.88±7.96), while during the T2 period, they were (4.41±4.16, 36.40±8.07). During the T2 period, the levels of anxiety and IU among college students were higher than those during the T1 period ( t=19.59, 13.67, P <0.01). The linear regression results showed that age ( B = -0.02 ), moderate ( B =-0.18) and poor ( B =-0.88) mental health status, as well as online browsing of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic (later called as epidemic) related information for >1-<3 hours ( B =-0.30) and ≥3 hours ( B =-0.22), all of which could negatively predict changes in anxiety during T1 to T2 periods. Living in rural areas ( B =0.11) could positively predict changes in anxiety during T1 to T2 periods ( P <0.05). Moderate ( B =-0.19) and poor ( B =-0.47) mental health status, browsing epidemic related information online for >1-<3 hours ( B =-0.32) and ≥3 hours ( B =-0.33), academic performance being moderately affected by the epidemic ( B =-0.10), and personal planning being moderately affected by the epidemic ( B =-0.13) and severely affected ( B =-0.22), all of which could negatively predict changes in IU during T1 to T2 periods ( P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#Levels of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty increases significantly after epidemic. Mental health status of college students should need long term monitoring, and students with poor mental health should need special attention.

The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Guangdong College Students: The Difference Between Seeking and Not Seeking Psychological Help.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has considerably psychologically impacted Chinese college students. Several types of online mental health services were widely implemented for college students during the outbreak. This study investigated the relationship between college students' mental health status and psychological help-seeking behavior to test the phases-decision-making model (PDM). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among college students in Guangdong Province using an online platform. In total, 4,164 students were assigned to the "counseling group" or "non-counseling group" according to whether they had sought psychological help because of the COVID-19 outbreak; the groups were matched based on age, sex, and grade. Demographics, perceived mental health, and experience with seeking psychological help were recorded. Fear, depression, and trauma were assessed by the COVID-19 Fear Screening Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, and Impact of Event Scale-6. RESULTS: The fear, depression, and trauma scores were significantly higher in the counseling group than in the non-counseling group (P s < 0.001). Fear (OR = 1.27, p < 0.001), depression (OR = 1.02, p = 0.032), trauma (OR = 1.08, p < 0.001), poor perceived mental health status (OR = 3.61, p = 0.001), and experience with seeking psychological help (OR = 7.06, p < 0.001) increased the odds of seeking psychological help. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 epidemic, the rate of psychological help-seeking was still low, and college students in poor psychological condition sought psychological counseling more. Fear, depression, trauma, experience with seeking psychological help, and perceived mental health can effectively predict psychological help-seeking behavior. These findings emphasized the importance of closely monitoring college students' psychological status, providing psychological intervention, and improving the probability of seeking psychological help.

COVID-19 in Guangdong: Immediate Perceptions and Psychological Impact on 304,167 College Students.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought unprecedented psychological pressure to people across China and more widely across the entire globe. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate perceptions of COVID-19 among college students in Guangdong Province, China, and to assess the psychological impact of the outbreak. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of college students via online questionnaires between February 13th and February 22nd, 2020. A total of 304,167 students completed the Impact of Event Scale 6 (IES-6) and other items. The results showed that 155,077 (50.9%) of the students reported stress symptoms, 1,565 (0.5%) reported poor mental health, and 9,752 (3.2%) reported poor sleep quality. Analysis indicated that the students' perceptions of COVID-19 were correlated with psychological stress, self-perceived mental health and sleep quality. Moreover, the analysis revealed that the relationship between types of perception and levels of stress symptoms varied according to the students' demographic characteristics. These findings allow us to better understand psychological stress among students and the factors influencing stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding these factors will help us to design intervention programs with the aim of alleviating stress among students and reducing the potential for developing psychological disorders.

[Materialistic values and depression in medical students:the mediating effect of meaning in life].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between materialistic values and depression in medical students. METHODS: A random sample of 1158 college students from a medical university in Guangdong Province was investigated using the materialism tendency scale (MTS), the simplified version of purpose in life test (PIL-SF) and the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9). RESULTS: The survey showed that 17.33% of the students had obvious depressive symptoms. A negative correlation was found between the materialistic values and the meaning in life (r=-0.229, P < 0.01) in these students; materialistic values were positively correlated with depression (r=0.246, P < 0.01), and the meaning in life was negatively correlated with depression (r=-0.476, P < 0.01). Meaning in life mediated the relationship between materialistic values and depression, which accounted for 41.2% of the total effects. CONCLUSIONS: Meaning in life partially mediates the relationship between materialistic values and depression.

Bifunctional Template-Induced VO2@SiO2 Dual-Shelled Hollow Nanosphere-Based Coatings for Smart Windows.

Thermochromic vanadium dioxide (VO2) as one of the most promising candidates for smart windows has attracted widespread attention in recent years. Excellent optical performances (luminous transmittance, Tlum, and solar modulation efficiency, Δ Tsol) of VO2-based coatings are usually pursued as crucial issues. In the current work, we report an ingenious approach for the synthesis of VO2@SiO2 dual-shell hollow nanospheres (DSHNs) and the preparation of DSHNs thermochromic coatings. A sequential bifunctional template-induced mechanism for the formation of DSHNs was proposed. Because of the unique hollow-core and dual-shell structure, the as-prepared VO2@SiO2 DSHNs coatings exhibited appealing optical performances with enhanced luminous transmittance of 61.8% and solar modulation efficiency of 12.6%, compared with continuous and dense VO2 coatings. It has been proved that the improvement of visible transmittance could be ascribed to the effective reduction of refractive index (from 2.6 to 1.6 at 630 nm). In addition, its excellent thermochromic performance has been confirmed by the model cubes measurements, expressing a great potential as energy-efficient smart windows in high-rise buildings. The bifunctional template-induced synthetic strategy may inspire more facile, efficient and inexpensive processes for development of well-defined multishelled hollow nanostructures for varied applications.

Three-Layered Hollow Nanospheres Based Coatings with Ultrahigh-Performance of Energy-Saving, Antireflection, and Self-Cleaning for Smart Windows.

In this study, a well-controlled interfacial engineering method for the synthesis of SiO2 /TiO2 /VO2 three-layered hollow nanospheres (TLHNs) and TLHNs-based multifunctional coatings is reported. The as-prepared coatings allow for an outstanding integration of thermochromism from the outer VO2 (M) layer, photocatalytic self-cleaning capability from the middle TiO2 (A) layer, and antireflective property from internal SiO2 HNs. The TLHNs coatings exhibit excellent optical performance with ultrahigh luminous transmittance (Tlum-l = 74%) and an improved solar modulation ability (ΔTsol = 12%). To the best knowledge, this integrated optical performance is the highest ever reported for TiO2 /VO2 -based thermochromic coatings. An ingenious computation model is proposed, which allows the neff of nanostructured coatings to be rapidly obtained. The experimental and calculated results reveal that the unique three-layered structure significantly reduces the refractive index (from 2.25 to 1.33 at 600 nm) and reflectance (Rave, from 22.3 to 5.3%) in the visible region as compared with dense coatings. Infrared thermal imaging characterization and self-cleaning tests provide valid evidence of SiO2 /TiO2 /VO2 TLHNs coatings' potential for energy-saving and self-cleaning smart windows. The exciting inexpensive and universal fabrication process for well-defined structures may inspire various developments in processable and multifunctional devices.