Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.
Department of Sociology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.
J Am Coll Health. 2023 May-Jun;71(4):981-983. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1920953. Epub 2022 Feb 23.
Objectives To assess levels of psychological distress among a group of US undergraduate college students during the initial phases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. All undergraduates at Kent State University were surveyed in three randomly selected cohorts on March 18, March 25, and April 1, yielding 3924 valid responses for the weighted dataset (73.8% female, 88.9% White). Distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Data were weighted using known population counts. K6 scores averaged 8.19 ± 5.9, with 44.3% in the moderately elevated range and 23.8% above the cutoff for severe psychological distress. A high proportion of undergraduate university students reported elevated psychological distress as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. K6 scores appeared higher than averages from comparison samples. Targeted surveillance can inform public health in mitigating threats to mental health conferred by pandemics. Colleges and universities should anticipate sharply elevated psychological distress during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
评估在新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）大流行初期，一组美国本科大学生的心理困扰水平。在 3 月 18 日、3 月 25 日和 4 月 1 日，肯特州立大学的所有本科生被随机分成三组进行调查，加权数据集共有 3924 份有效回复（女性占 73.8%，白人占 88.9%）。使用 Kessler 心理困扰量表（K6）评估困扰程度。使用已知的人口计数对数据进行加权。K6 平均得分为 8.19±5.9，中度困扰的比例为 44.3%，严重心理困扰的比例为 23.8%。随着 COVID-19 大流行的展开，相当一部分大学生报告出现了心理困扰。K6 得分高于比较样本的平均值。有针对性的监测可以为减轻大流行对心理健康的威胁提供公共卫生信息。高校应在 COVID-19 大流行期间及之后预计会出现明显升高的心理困扰。
