Research of the Changes in the Psychological Status of Chinese University Students and the Influencing Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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ABSTRACT: Background
Psychological dynamics of college students have changed during the COVID-19 outbreak but little research has been done in this area. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic changes in the mental health status of college students since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic 1 year and the influencing factors.Methods
The research period was from February 2020 to August 2021. 384 college students were analyzed three times during this period on the recognition and psychological state of the pandemic.Results
During the period from February 2020 to August 2021, in general, the positive scores rose from 20.79 to 23.46, while the negative scores dropped from 17.41 to 14.00. The regression analysis results on the influencing factors showed the degree of recognition of the pandemic is all significant in the three phases (p < 0.05).Conclusion
With the effective control of the pandemic, the mental state of the students showed a slight improvement in the environment of sporadic cases. Behavior has a partial mediating effect between the source of fear and psychological changes. Correct behavior guidance can effectively reduce the psychological changes caused by college students' fear.
SUBMITTER: Liu C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9197466 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:University students are the most employed category of participants in cognitive research. However, researchers cannot fully control what their participants do the night before the experiments (e.g., consumption of alcohol) and, unless the experiment specifically concerns the effects of alcohol consumption, they often do not ask about it. Despite previous studies demonstrating that alcohol consumption leads to decrements in next-day cognitive abilities, the potential confounding effect of hangover on the validity of cognitive research has never been addressed. To address this issue, in the present study, a test-retest design was used, with two groups of university students: at T0, one group was constituted by hungover participants, while the other group was constituted by non-hungover participants; at T1, both groups were re-tested in a non-hangover state. In particular, the tests used were two versions of a parity judgment task and an arithmetic verification task. The results highlight that: (a) the response times of university students experiencing a hangover are significantly slower than those of non-hangover students and (b) the response times of hungover students are slower than those of the same students when re-tested in a non-hangover state. Additionally, it was also observed that the prevalence of hungover students in the university campus varies depending on the day of the week, with a greater chance of enrolling hungover participants on specific days. In light of the latter result, the recruitment of university students as participants in cognitive experiments might lead researchers to erroneously attribute their results to the variables they are manipulating, ignoring the effects of the potential hangover state.
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Project description:Background: Smartphone and social media use are an integral part of our daily life. Currently, the impact of excessive smartphone and social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic is poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate problematic smartphone use (PSPU) and problematic social media use (PSMU) among Bangladeshi college and university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 5,511 Bangladeshi college and university students (male: 58.9%; mean age: 21.2 years [SD = 1.7]; age range: 18-25) during the social-distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic (July 2020). A self-reported survey containing questions regarding socio-demographic, lifestyle, and home quarantine activities along with four psychometric scales was completed by participants. Results: The mean scores of PSPU and PSMU were 20.8 ± 6.8 (out of 36) and 14.7 ± 4.8 (out of 30). Based on a hierarchical regression analysis, PSPU and PSMU were positively associated with lower age, poor sleep, social media use, watching television, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, PSMU was linked to being female, living with nuclear family, having urban residence, irregular physical exercise, poor engagement with academic studies, and avoiding earning activities, whilst being male, being married, living with lower-income family, and alcohol consumption were linked to PSMU. Conclusions: The findings indicate that PSPU and PSMU were linked to poor psychological well-being (i.e., anxiety and depression) and other factors (especially lower age, poor sleep) during the pandemic, further suggesting the need for interventions including virtual awareness programs among college and university students.
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