Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation Study
BackgroundThe COVID-19 epidemic may elevate mental distress and depressive symptoms in various populations in China. ObjectiveThis study investigates the levels of depression and mental distress due to COVID-19, and the associations between cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial factors...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2021-02-01
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| Series: | JMIR Mental Health |
| Online Access: | https://mental.jmir.org/2021/2/e22705 |
| _version_ | 1818382462563123200 |
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| author | Yu, Yanqiu She, Rui Luo, Sitong Xin, Meiqi Li, Lijuan Wang, Suhua Ma, Le Tao, Fangbiao Zhang, Jianxin Zhao, Junfeng Li, Liping Hu, Dongsheng Zhang, Guohua Gu, Jing Lin, Danhua Wang, Hongmei Cai, Yong Wang, Zhaofen You, Hua Hu, Guoqing Lau, Joseph Tak-Fai |
| author_facet | Yu, Yanqiu She, Rui Luo, Sitong Xin, Meiqi Li, Lijuan Wang, Suhua Ma, Le Tao, Fangbiao Zhang, Jianxin Zhao, Junfeng Li, Liping Hu, Dongsheng Zhang, Guohua Gu, Jing Lin, Danhua Wang, Hongmei Cai, Yong Wang, Zhaofen You, Hua Hu, Guoqing Lau, Joseph Tak-Fai |
| author_sort | Yu, Yanqiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThe COVID-19 epidemic may elevate mental distress and depressive symptoms in various populations in China.
ObjectiveThis study investigates the levels of depression and mental distress due to COVID-19, and the associations between cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial factors, and depression and mental distress due to COVID-19 among university students in China.
MethodsA large-scale online cross-sectional study (16 cities in 13 provinces) was conducted among university students from February 1 to 10, 2020, in China; 23,863 valid questionnaires were returned. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depression. Structural equation modeling was performed to test mediation and suppression effects.
ResultsOf the 23,863 participants, 47.1% (n=11,235) reported high or very high levels of one or more types of mental distress due to COVID-19; 39.1% (n=9326) showed mild to severe depression. Mental distress due to COVID-19 was positively associated with depression. All but one factor (perceived infection risks, perceived chance of controlling the epidemic, staying at home, contacted people from Wuhan, and perceived discrimination) were significantly associated with mental distress due to COVID-19 and depression. Mental distress due to COVID-19 partially mediated and suppressed the associations between some of the studied factors and depression (effect size of 6.0%-79.5%).
ConclusionsBoth mental distress due to COVID-19 and depression were prevalent among university students in China; the former may have increased the prevalence of the latter. The studied cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial factors related to COVID-19 may directly or indirectly (via mental distress due to COVID-19) affect depression. Interventions to modify such factors may reduce mental distress and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 epidemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T02:50:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93f0e1f099a140d98263111bd0dcdfe1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2368-7959 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T02:50:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-93f0e1f099a140d98263111bd0dcdfe12022-12-21T23:19:46ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Mental Health2368-79592021-02-0182e2270510.2196/22705Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation StudyYu, YanqiuShe, RuiLuo, SitongXin, MeiqiLi, LijuanWang, SuhuaMa, LeTao, FangbiaoZhang, JianxinZhao, JunfengLi, LipingHu, DongshengZhang, GuohuaGu, JingLin, DanhuaWang, HongmeiCai, YongWang, ZhaofenYou, HuaHu, GuoqingLau, Joseph Tak-FaiBackgroundThe COVID-19 epidemic may elevate mental distress and depressive symptoms in various populations in China. ObjectiveThis study investigates the levels of depression and mental distress due to COVID-19, and the associations between cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial factors, and depression and mental distress due to COVID-19 among university students in China. MethodsA large-scale online cross-sectional study (16 cities in 13 provinces) was conducted among university students from February 1 to 10, 2020, in China; 23,863 valid questionnaires were returned. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depression. Structural equation modeling was performed to test mediation and suppression effects. ResultsOf the 23,863 participants, 47.1% (n=11,235) reported high or very high levels of one or more types of mental distress due to COVID-19; 39.1% (n=9326) showed mild to severe depression. Mental distress due to COVID-19 was positively associated with depression. All but one factor (perceived infection risks, perceived chance of controlling the epidemic, staying at home, contacted people from Wuhan, and perceived discrimination) were significantly associated with mental distress due to COVID-19 and depression. Mental distress due to COVID-19 partially mediated and suppressed the associations between some of the studied factors and depression (effect size of 6.0%-79.5%). ConclusionsBoth mental distress due to COVID-19 and depression were prevalent among university students in China; the former may have increased the prevalence of the latter. The studied cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial factors related to COVID-19 may directly or indirectly (via mental distress due to COVID-19) affect depression. Interventions to modify such factors may reduce mental distress and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 epidemic.https://mental.jmir.org/2021/2/e22705 |
| spellingShingle | Yu, Yanqiu She, Rui Luo, Sitong Xin, Meiqi Li, Lijuan Wang, Suhua Ma, Le Tao, Fangbiao Zhang, Jianxin Zhao, Junfeng Li, Liping Hu, Dongsheng Zhang, Guohua Gu, Jing Lin, Danhua Wang, Hongmei Cai, Yong Wang, Zhaofen You, Hua Hu, Guoqing Lau, Joseph Tak-Fai Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation Study JMIR Mental Health |
| title | Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation Study |
| title_full | Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation Study |
| title_fullStr | Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation Study |
| title_short | Factors Influencing Depression and Mental Distress Related to COVID-19 Among University Students in China: Online Cross-sectional Mediation Study |
| title_sort | factors influencing depression and mental distress related to covid 19 among university students in china online cross sectional mediation study |
| url | https://mental.jmir.org/2021/2/e22705 |
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