COVID-19 anxiety and mental health among university students during the early phases of the U.S. pandemic

Psychometric Evaluation and Misophonic Experience in a Portuguese-Speaking Sample

Misophonia, a disorder characterised by an extreme sensitivity to certain sounds, is increasingly being studied in cross-cultural settings. The S-Five scale is a multidimensional psychometric tool initially developed to measure the severity of misophonia in English-speaking populations. The scale has been validated in several languages, and the present study aimed to validate the European Portuguese S-Five scale in a Portuguese-speaking sample. The scale was translated into Portuguese using a forward-backwards translation method. The psychometric properties of the S-Five scale were evaluated in a sample of 491 Portuguese-speaking adults. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a five-factor structure consistent with previous versions of the S-Five scale. The five factors were as follows: (1) internalising appraisals, (2) externalising appraisals, (3) perceived threat and avoidance behaviour, (4) outbursts, and (5) impact on functioning. The satisfactory psychometric properties of the S-Five scale further indicated its cross-cultural stability. As a psychometrically robust tool, the S-Five can measure misophonia in Portuguese-speaking populations, allowing future studies to explore and compare misophonia in this population.

Social isolation, psychological distress and resilience of Chinese college students during COVID-19 pandemic

It has been 3 years since the first appearance of COVID-19 in China. During this time, social isolation was widely used as an important method to fight it. However, this measure had many negative effects on the mental health of college students. To better understand this issue, this study aims to explore the impact of social isolation and COVID-19-related stress on psychological distress among Chinese college students. Additionally, resilience has been evaluated as a key component of stress resistance in this situation. Coronavirus Stress Measure (CSM), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were used in this study. A total of 388 Chinese college students participated in the survey via the Internet. Two groups (isolated group vs. non-isolated group) were divided according to whether they have been isolated from their classmates and families. Data analysis adopts t-test, F test and mediate effect analysis by SPSS21.0. (1) All factors, except resilience, were found to have lower scores in the isolated group; (2) significant correlations were found between all factors; (3) resilience partially mitigated the impact of COVID-19 stress on psychological symptoms. Social isolation has been found to be a significant factor contributing to negative psychological distress in Chinese college students. The COVID-19-related stress may increase the likelihood of psychological suffering among isolated group. Resilience can help reduce the negative effects of COVID-19 stress on college students. Therefore, providing appropriate psychological support tailored to different isolation situations is crucial.

Quantitative risk assessment of college campus considering risk interactions

Because of the more emerging risks and stronger risk interactions, the risk of college campuses as well as students and staff received more and more attention. Current works on campus risk mostly focus on single-category factors, and few of them considered risk interactions. Therefore, an integrated model for assessing comprehensive risks on the campus is proposed to put forward risk reduction strategies. First, a comprehensive risk identification of the college campus is conducted by integrating the modified egg model and the fault tree. Then, DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) is applied to quantify the complex risk interactions and determine the influential causes for further modelling. Finally, the Bayesian network is established for cause diagnosis, consequence prediction, and risk reduction. The identified most sensitive cause is alcohol use. In the case of the four sensitive causes simultaneously occurring, the probability of high campus risk will increase from 21.9% of the original to 39.4%. Moreover, an efficiency analysis of different risk reduction strategies is performed to determine the most efficient risk reduction strategy. The results indicate that the proposed methodology may of great significance for the risk reduction of the college campus in the changing age.

Promoting a health-centered approach to acute mental health crises on college campuses: The case for collegiate-based emergency medical services

As college and university campuses re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increased concern for mental health crises. Current trends in campus mental health care emphasize providing quality care in a safe, non-judgmental, and non-punitive manner. Collegiate-based emergency medical services organizations are well-positioned to respond to acute mental health crises on college campuses. Campus health professionals and administrators seeking to promote a health-centered approach toward mental health crises should support the growth and development of collegiate-based emergency medical services organizations.

COVID-19 and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a large multi-site college sample

The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique risks to college students' mental health, and specifically to symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To better understand the relationship between COVID-19 impact and OC symptoms in this population, six colleges from across the US administered a battery of questionnaires and an emotion differentiation paradigm to eligible students (N = 841). We examined whether degree of pandemic-related disruption was associated with OC severity, and if so, whether this relationship was explained by trait (poor emotion regulation and differentiation) and state risk factors (poor sleep quality, less exercise frequency, less social support, thwarted sense of belongingness, and greater loneliness). Results indicated that the positive relationship between COVID-19 impact and OC severity was mediated by trait emotion-related processes (e.g., emotion regulation and differentiation), but no state risk factors emerged as significant mediators. Our findings contribute to the literature demonstrating a significant relationship between COVID-19 impact and OC severity, and highlight that emotion regulation difficulties may help explain this association. Our findings can inform evidence-based interventions on college campuses; however, the cross-sectional design precludes causal inferences. Future research should evaluate these relationships longitudinally and incorporate other psychosocial factors that may operate as mechanisms.