Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom.
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom.
Psychiatry Res. 2021 Apr;298:113819. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113819. Epub 2021 Feb 23.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent restrictions imposed by governments worldwide have had profound social and psychological effects, particularly for young adults. This study used longitudinal data to characterise effects on mental health and behaviour in a UK student sample, measuring sleep quality and diurnal preference, depression and anxiety symptoms, wellbeing and loneliness, and alcohol use. Self-report data was collected from 254 undergraduates (219 females) at a UK university at two-time points: autumn 2019 (baseline, pre-pandemic) and April/May 2020 (under 'lockdown' conditions). Longitudinal analyses showed a significant rise in depression symptoms and a reduction in wellbeing at lockdown. Over a third of the sample could be classed as clinically depressed at lockdown compared to 15% at baseline. Sleep quality was not affected across the sample as a whole. The increase in depression symptoms was highly correlated with worsened sleep quality. A reduction in alcohol use, and a significant shift towards an 'evening' diurnal preference, were also observed. Levels of worry surrounding contracting COVID-19 were high. Results highlight the urgent need for strategies to support young people's mental health: alleviating worries around contracting COVID, and supporting good sleep quality, could benefit young adults' mental health as the COVID-19 crisis unfolds.
COVID-19 大流行以及全球各国政府因此实施的限制措施对社会和心理造成了深远影响，尤其对年轻人影响更为明显。本研究采用纵向数据，对英国大学生样本的心理健康和行为变化进行了特征描述，测量了睡眠质量和昼夜节律偏好、抑郁和焦虑症状、幸福感和孤独感以及饮酒情况。在英国一所大学，研究人员于两个时间点从 254 名本科生（219 名女性）收集了自我报告数据：2019 年秋季（基线，大流行前）和 2020 年 4 月/5 月（封锁期间）。纵向分析显示，封锁期间抑郁症状明显增加，幸福感降低。与基线时的 15%相比，有超过三分之一的样本在封锁时可被归类为临床抑郁。整体样本的睡眠质量不受影响。抑郁症状的增加与睡眠质量的恶化高度相关。还观察到饮酒量减少和昼夜节律偏好显著向“夜间”转移。对感染 COVID-19 的担忧程度很高。研究结果强调了迫切需要制定策略来支持年轻人的心理健康：缓解对感染 COVID-19 的担忧，并支持良好的睡眠质量，可能会随着 COVID-19 危机的发展使年轻人受益于心理健康。
