Prevalence of Anxiety in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Liyanage S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8750929 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic on college students' mental health is well-demonstrated. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the pandemic on the students of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Northern Greece), in terms of stress, anxiety, and depression, and to analyze the probable correlation of various social and phycological factors.MethodsThe survey was conducted in the form of a questionnaire, which was first distributed in November 2020 and then re-launched in November 2021. The evaluation was carried out through the DASS21 screening tool. Associations regarding participants' characteristics and the three variables (stress, anxiety, and depression) were investigated with Pearson's chi-squared (Χ2) test.ResultsThe first-year results (November 2020) revealed severe prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression (37.4%, 27.2% and 47% respectively). The second-year results (November 2021) revealed a significant augmentation in all three variables, mainly for the extreme severe scales (47.3%, 41.1% and 55% respectively). Participants who were receiving psychiatric treatment exhibited higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, especially during the second year of the pandemic (p-Value < 0.00001). Female students' mental health was at higher risk, as elevated prevalence of negative symptoms was observed (p-Value < 0.00001).ConclusionsThe community of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki has been greatly affected during the last 2 years. The inherent risks of the confinement measures on students' well-being and mental health are undeniable. Recurrent annual psychological evaluation in universities and colleges is strongly advised.
| S-EPMC9332455 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a great deal of pressure for medical students, who typically show elevated anxiety rates. Our aim is to investigate the prevalence of anxiety in medical students during this pandemic. This systematic review and mini meta-analysis has been conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Two researchers independently searched PubMed on 26 August 2020 for cross-sectional studies on medical students during the COVID-19 outbreak, with no language restrictions applied. We then performed a manual search to detect other potentially eligible investigations. To the 1361 records retrieved in the initial search, 4 more were added by manual search on medRxiv. Finally, eight studies were finally included for qualitative and quantitative analysis, which yielded an estimated prevalence of anxiety of 28% (95% CI: 22-34%), with significant heterogeneity between studies. The prevalence of anxiety in medical students is similar to that prior to the pandemic but correlates with several specific COVID-related stressors. While some preventive and risk factors have been previously identified in a non-pandemic context, knowledge and cognitions on COVID-19 transmission, treatment, prognosis and prevention negatively correlate with anxiety, emerging as a key preventive factor that may provide a rationale for why the levels of anxiety have remained stable in medical students during the pandemic while increasing in their non-medical peers and the general population. Other reasons for the invariability of anxiety rates in this population are discussed. A major limitation of our review is that Chinese students comprised 89% the total sample, which could compromise the external validity of our work.
| S-EPMC7560147 | biostudies-literature
Project description:University students were confronted with abrupt changes to their daily lives by the COVID-19 lock-down. We investigated Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) and anxiety levels, and the association between perceived impact on well-being, studies, and daily lives and anxiety levels, adjusted for gender, age, social class and affiliation. Early in the lock-down all students of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (N = 12,429) were invited to a voluntary longitudinal health survey. Participation rate was 20% (n = 2437): 70% females, median age 25 yrs. (IQR 23-28). A total of 10% reported a deterioration of well-being compared to pre-Corona. LCA yielded three classes varying in perceived COVID-19 impact: 1 (low, n = 675), 2 (moderate, n = 1098), and 3 (strong, n = 656). Adjusted proportion of moderate to severe anxiety by class were 45% (95% CI: 28.0-62.0), 15.5% (95% CI: 13.1-17.9), and 5.1% (95% CI: 4.7-5.6), respectively. Multivariate regression analyses yielded an OR for moderate to severe anxiety of 3.88 (95% CI: 2.5-6.0, class 2) and 22.43 (95% CI: 14.5-34.6, class 3) compared to class-1. The investigated association implies that containment measures have a selective effect on anxiety in students. The diversity of students' perception and associated anxiety should be monitored and considered in future response to pandemics.
| S-EPMC7599649 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 has impacted mental health globally, however, associations between anxiety and appetitive traits during the pandemic are unreported. This study evaluated anxiety symptom severity and associations with appetitive traits in students at a large public University in the U.S. during the pandemic.MethodsCurrent undergraduate and graduate/professional students completed a cross-sectional survey in fall 2020. Demographic information, anxiety symptoms in the past 2 weeks assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and appetitive traits assessed by the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ) were evaluated. Mean scores for eight AEBQ scales (four food approach and four food avoidance traits) were calculated. Differences in mean scores were examined between participants with moderate to severe anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 score ≥ 10) and those with mild to no anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 score < 10) via independent samples t-tests and effect sizes. Associations between GAD-7 score and individual appetitive traits were also examined, adjusting for age and gender.ResultsOf the 1243 students who completed the survey (57% undergraduates; mean age = 26.5 years), 51.9% reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. Groups experiencing the highest degree of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms included transgender, gender fluid, and other-gendered participants (73.6%); the youngest age group [18-20 years (62%)]; undergraduate students (60.7%); and Hispanic/Latinx participants (57.7%). Participants with moderate to severe anxiety symptoms had higher scores for most food approach and avoidance traits but lower scores for enjoyment of food than those with mild to no anxiety symptoms. Effect sizes were largest for hunger and emotional over-eating (Cohen's d = 0.31 and 0.30, respectively). Adjusting for age and gender, GAD-7 score was significantly and positively associated with hunger, emotional over-eating, food and satiety responsiveness, and food fussiness and negatively associated with enjoyment of food.ConclusionsOver half of students at a U.S. University reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms during COVID-19. More severe anxiety symptoms were associated with increased hunger, emotional over-eating, and food and satiety responsiveness and decreased enjoyment of food. Universities must consider strategies to address anxiety, particularly in younger students; transgender, gender fluid, and students of other genders; and across race/ethnicities keeping in mind associations with appetitive traits.
| S-EPMC8118620 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimsChinese university students are at high risk for depressive symptoms and the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have exacerbated the mental health of university students. However, existing studies on depressive symptoms in Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic reported a wide range of prevalence estimates, making mental health planning for this population difficult. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of surveys that assessed the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Chinese university students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsMajor Chinese (CNKI, Wanfang, VIP) and English (PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo) databases and preprint platforms were searched to identify cross-sectional studies containing data on the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Chinese university students during the pandemic. Two authors independently retrieved the literature, evaluated the eligibility of potential studies, assessed the risk of bias (RoB) of included studies, and extracted data. RoB was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data.ResultsIn total, 1177 records were retrieved, and 84 studies involving 1 292 811 Chinese university students during the pandemic were included. None of the included studies were rated as completely low RoB. Statistically significant heterogeneity in the prevalence estimates of included studies was detected (I2 = 99.9%, p < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms was 26.0% (95%CI: 23.3-28.9%), which was significantly higher in female than in male students (30.8% v. 28.6%, p < 0.001), in postgraduates than in undergraduates (29.3% v. 22.9%, p < 0.001), in students living inside than in those living outside the COVID-19 epicentre (27.5% v. 22.3%, P < 0.001), in students from universities at the epicentre than in those from universities outside the epicentre (26.2% v. 23.1%, p < 0.001), in students who had close contact with COVID-19 than in those who did not (46.0% v. 25.0%, p < 0.001), and in students who had acquaintances or relatives infected with COVID-19 (39.7% v. 24.0%, p < 0.001) than in those who did not. Five sources of heterogeneity were identified from the subgroup analysis: survey period, % of males among the survey sample, scale of depressive symptoms, cutoff score of the scale and level of RoB.ConclusionsOver one-fourth of Chinese university students experienced depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health services for this population should include periodic evaluation of depressive symptoms, expanded social support and psychiatric assessment and treatment when necessary. It is also necessary to design depression prevention programmes that target higher-risk cohorts of university students.
| S-EPMC8047400 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The mental health of young adults, particularly students, is at high risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in mental health between university students in nine countries during the pandemic. The study encompassed 2349 university students (69% female) from Colombia, the Czech Republic (Czechia), Germany, Israel, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Participants underwent the following tests: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Exposure to COVID-19 (EC-19), Perceived Impact of Coronavirus (PIC) on students' well-being, Physical Activity (PA), and General Self-Reported Health (GSRH). The one-way ANOVA showed significant differences between countries. The highest depression and anxiety risk occurred in Turkey, the lowest depression in the Czech Republic and the lowest anxiety in Germany. The χ2 independence test showed that EC-19, PIC, and GSRH were associated with anxiety and depression in most of the countries, whereas PA was associated in less than half of the countries. Logistic regression showed distinct risk factors for each country. Gender and EC-19 were the most frequent predictors of depression and anxiety across the countries. The role of gender and PA for depression and anxiety is not universal and depends on cross-cultural differences. Students' mental health should be addressed from a cross-cultural perspective.
| S-EPMC8269122 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Purpose: This systematic review aimed to analyze the impact that the COVID-19 lockdown had on the amount of physical activity performed by university students. Materials and Methods: A systematic electronic search for studies providing information regarding physical activity levels pre and during COVID-19 pandemic in university students was performed up to 20th October 2020 in the databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The risk of bias of external validity quality of included studies was assessed by means of those the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The quality of the evidence for main outcomes was graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results and Conclusions: A total of 10 studies were selected. Physical activity levels were assessed by means of questionnaires (10 studies) and accelerometer (1 study). Risk of bias was regarded as low and high in six and four investigations, respectively. The quality of evidence was downgraded to low. A significant reduction of physical activity levels were observed in 9 studies. Compared to pre-lockdown values, five studies showed a reduction of light/mild physical activity (walking) between 32.5 and 365.5%, while seven studies revealed a reduction of high/vigorous physical activity between 2.9 and 52.8%. Walking, moderate, vigorous, and total physical activity levels have been reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic confinements in university students of different countries. Despite of the reductions, those who met the current minimum PA recommendations before the lockdown generally met the recommendations also during the confinements.
| S-EPMC7845570 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeThe Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency with both physical and mental health risks. Medical students have baseline elevated rates of anxiety, depression and burnout. As such, they may be especially susceptible to the psychological stresses of Covid-19. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among United States medical students during the Covid-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional, survey-based study collected demographic data as well as the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. The survey was administered from April 13, 2020 to April 28, 2020 amidst the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.ResultsA total of 1,428 students from 40 US medical schools completed the survey. From those surveyed, 30.6% and 24.3% of respondents screened positive for anxiety and depression, respectively. Median GAD-7 scores were higher among females (7.0 vs 5.0, P < .00001), pre-clinical students (7.0 vs 6.0, P < .00004), and those with a friend or relative diagnosed with Covid-19 (7.0 vs 6.0, P=.001). Median PHQ-9 scores were higher among females (6.0 vs 4.0, P < .00001) and pre-clinical students (6.0 vs 4.0, P < .00001).ConclusionWhen compared to previous medical student studies, these results are 61% higher for anxiety and 70% higher for depression during the Covid-19 era. The current study suggests that there should be a heightened awareness of and sensitivity to student's mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic with certain cohorts at greater potential risk.
| S-EPMC7890732 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe global pandemic of COVID-19 has brought huge changes to people's lifestyles, college students have also been affected seriously. Evidence about these significant changes indicated that college students were more prone to feel anxious and depressed. To derive a precise assessment of the prevalence of anxiety symptom and depressive symptom among college students worldwide, we conducted this meta-analysis.MethodsBased on the guidance of PRISMA, literature was searched in Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycArticles (last search November 6, 2020). These articles after the screening were analyzed by a random-effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence of anxiety symptom and depressive symptom. Also, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were performed in this meta-analysis.ResultsThe results showed that the pooled anxiety symptom prevalence was 31% (95% CI: 23-39%), pooled depressive symptom prevalence was 34% (95% CI: 27-41%). Subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of anxiety symptom and depressive symptom among different countries' college students were different, and the pooled depressive symptom prevalence of females was higher compared with males.LimitationsThe prevalence of anxiety symptom and depressive symptom in worldwide college students could be better assessed by a standard and reliable questionnaire.ConclusionsThe results suggest that the prevalence of anxiety symptom and depressive symptom during the COVID-19 pandemic is relatively high. Except for interventions that should be taken to control the pandemic urgently, mental health services are also needed to decrease the risk of anxiety and depression among college students.
| S-EPMC8595068 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThis review provides an estimate of the global prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among doctors, based on analysis of evidence from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA systematic review was conducted to identify suitable studies. Final searches were conducted on 3rd March 2021. Papers were initially screened by title and abstract, based on pre-agreed inclusion criteria, followed by full-text review of eligible studies. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Checklist for Prevalence Studies. Data from studies rated as low or medium risk of bias were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore heterogeneity.ResultsFifty-five studies were included after full-text review. Of these, thirty studies were assessed as low or medium risk of bias and were included in primary analyses. These comprised twenty-six studies of depression (31,447 participants) and thirty studies of anxiety (33,281 participants). Pooled prevalence of depression and anxiety was 20.5% (95% CI 16.0%-25.3%) and 25.8% (95% CI 20.4%-31.5%) respectively.InterpretationEvidence from the first year of the pandemic suggests that a significant proportion of doctors are experiencing high levels of symptoms of depression and anxiety, although not conclusively more so than pre-pandemic levels. Differences in study methodology and variation in job demands may account for some of the observed heterogeneity.LimitationsFindings must be interpreted with caution due to the high heterogeneity and moderate risk of bias evident in the majority of included studies.
| S-EPMC8596335 | biostudies-literature