Chen Yinhai, Ke Xiong, Liu Jinfeng, Du Jun, Zhang Jiali, Jiang Xuan, Zhou Tong, Xiao Xiao
Primary Health Care Research Centre, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China.
Mianyang Central Hospital, Mianyang, China.
Front Psychol. 2024 Jul 17;15:1387983. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1387983. eCollection 2024.
The long-term impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of college students, specifically trends over time after full removal of COVID-19 restrictions, has not been well-studied.
Four consecutive cross-sectional surveys were conducted in December 2022 ( = 689), March 2023 ( = 456), June 2023 ( = 300), and November 2023 ( = 601) at a university in Sichuan Province, China.
The proportion of students with COVID-19 panic decreased from 95.1 to 77.3% ( < 0.001). The prevalence of moderate anxiety and above decreased from 18 to 13.6% ( < 0.001), and the prevalence of moderate and above depression decreased from 33.1 to 28.1% ( < 0.001), while the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased from 21.5 to 29.6% ( < 0.005). Further, the proportion of suicidal thoughts increased from 7.7 to 14.8% ( < 0.001). Suicidal thoughts and self-injuries were significantly associated with COVID-19 panic, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Students who reported being in close contact with COVID-19 patients in the past were more likely to develop PTSD. Further, COVID-19-induced panic was a risk factor for self-injury.
One year after the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall mental health of college students was not optimal. Hence, we can conclude that the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of college students may have already occurred. To mitigate this impact and prepare for the next major public health event, strengthening college students' mental health curricula and promoting healthy behaviors among college students should be a priority for universities and education authorities.
新冠疫情对大学生心理健康和幸福感的长期影响，尤其是在完全解除新冠疫情限制措施后的长期趋势，尚未得到充分研究。
于2022年12月（n = 689）、2023年3月（n = 456）、2023年6月（n = 300）和2023年11月（n = 601）在中国四川省的一所大学进行了连续四次横断面调查。
有新冠恐慌的学生比例从95.1%降至77.3%（P < 0.001）。中度及以上焦虑症的患病率从18%降至13.6%（P < 0.001），中度及以上抑郁症的患病率从33.1%降至28.1%（P < 0.001），而创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的患病率从21.5%升至29.6%（P < 0.005）。此外，自杀念头的比例从7.7%升至14.8%（P < 0.001）。自杀念头和自我伤害与新冠恐慌、抑郁、焦虑和创伤后应激障碍显著相关。过去报告与新冠患者密切接触的学生更易患创伤后应激障碍。此外，新冠引发的恐慌是自我伤害的一个风险因素。
新冠疫情爆发一年后，大学生的整体心理健康状况并不理想。因此，我们可以得出结论，新冠疫情对大学生心理健康的长期影响可能已经显现。为减轻这种影响并为下一次重大公共卫生事件做好准备，加强大学生心理健康课程并促进大学生的健康行为应是大学和教育当局的首要任务。
