Comparing mental health and well-being of US undergraduate and graduate students during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

The impact of distance education on the socialization of college students in the Covid-19 era: problems in communication and impact on mental health

BACKGROUND

The problems of students' social interaction and psychological well-being associated with online learning dependent on self-directed learning have become an important topic of research in recent years worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting their Social Emotional Learning. This paper aimed to compare the students' loneliness, social anxiety, social interaction, and general psychological well-being at different stages of online learning (at the beginning and the height of the pandemic), considering their criteria (presence/absence of a job and own family).

METHODS

For this, the researchers conducted an electronic survey of students (n = 320) twice, in February and May 2020, using four questionnaires: UCLA loneliness scale-3, Social Anxiety Scale for E-Learning Environments, Social Interaction Scale, and Brief Adjustment Scale. The responses at different stages of online learning were compared using Student's t-test. Differences between employed and unemployed students with or without their own families were determined using the analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS

The findings showed that unemployed students without their families suffered the most from loneliness. Social interaction online was rated higher by students with their own families; psychological well-being at the beginning of the distance period and social anxiety at the height of the distance period were higher among unemployed students.

CONCLUSIONS

This research can become a theoretical basis for a phase-by-phase study of social predictors for the psychological well-being of higher education students and is of practical value for teachers and administrators of online learning aimed at students' socialization. In addition, it provides education officials with information about how students perceive psychological well-being, anxiety, social interaction, and loneliness during distance learning, which can help officials direct their decisions and reforms to improve interaction in the online environment.

Changes in Mental Health among Japanese University Students during the COVID-19 Era: Differences by College Department, Graduate Level, Sex, and Academic Year

This study compared the effects of academic year, college department, and undergraduate or graduate status on Japanese students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2021-2023, an online survey was conducted using the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Systems-Japanese (CCAPS-Japanese) to evaluate students' mental health; 9395 undergraduate students (4623 female, 4772 male) and 1169 graduate students (380 female, 789 male) responded. Undergraduate students in medicine had lower levels of depression, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety than those in other departments. Engineering students exhibited the highest level of academic distress. First-year students had the highest levels of generalized and social anxiety but the lowest level of academic distress. Second-year students had the lowest level of depression, and third-year students had the highest level of academic distress. Among graduate students, first-year students had higher levels of depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, academic distress, and hostility than second-year students. Undergraduates had poorer mental health than graduate students. Females had higher levels of eating concerns than males among undergraduate students. This study revealed that the mental health of university students was affected by various factors. These findings demonstrate the characteristics of university students requiring early support.

Association between diet, mental health and sleep quality in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate recently published scientific evidence and synthesize the results of observational studies that examine the association between diet, mental health, and sleep quality in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONTENT

An electronic search of scientific literature published in 2021 and up to 2 years ago was performed using keyword search, with focus on observational studies published in PubMed, MEDLINE and Web of Science. It included: active university students of both sexes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK

The 5 studies included in this review showed that there have been significant changes in both mental health and eating habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The conclusion, there is an association between mental health and sleep quality in university students, resulting in an alteration of sleep hours and poor sleep. Furthermore, an association between mental health and diet quality is also observed, producing an increase in caloric intake or in the number of meals during the day.

The Relationship Between Duration of Stay and Self-rated Health Among International College Students in South Korea

This study examined relationships between duration of stay and self-rated health among international students in South Korea and compared participants' health-related characteristics according to duration of stay. The study recruited a convenience sample of 165 international students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs. For this cross-sectional, descriptive study, participants were recruited at one South Korean university. Data were subjected to ordinal logistic regression analyses. After controlling for covariates, a stay of 6 months or less was a significant predictor of better self-rated health. Compared to those in their first semester, international students staying more than 6 months more frequently experienced short sleep duration, physical health symptoms, healthcare utilization, unmet healthcare needs, and perceived discrimination. Study findings indicate that international students' health tends to deteriorate after their first semester. To promote the health and academic success of international students, universities should provide timely health promotion programs.

COVID-19 and mental health among college students in the southwestern United States

Objective: We examined COVID-19-related experiences, mental health, and future plans among US undergraduate and graduate students in the initial months of the pandemic. Participants: 72 students (68% female; 51.4% white; age x- =24.4) from 21 colleges in the US southwest concurrently enrolled in a stress-reduction study. Methods: Between March and June 2020, participants completed an online survey about demographics, personal and vicarious COVID-19 experiences, mood, and future plans. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed with the GAD-7 and PHQ-9, respectively. Results: Worry about COVID-19 was associated with anxiety and depression symptoms and personal and vicarious experiences with COVID-19. COVID-19 worry varied by illness severity and level of intimacy with those impacted. Most participants reported changing educational (66.7%) and life (55.6%) plans due to COVID-19. Conclusions: Given the continued impact of COVID-19 on physical/emotional health and future plans, universities should assist students in managing COVID-19-related stress so they can continue to learn and grow.

Physical activity and mental health in sports university students during the COVID-19 school confinement in Shanghai

Background

In 2022, Shanghai was seriously affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The government implemented citywide static management for 2 months, as well as all universities in Shanghai, which changed the normal learning and living style of sports students and led to a decline in physical activity level. As the physical activity has a strong correlation with mental health, this study aimed to investigate the current state of physical activity (PA) and mental health of the students in Shanghai University of Sport. It will try to reveal the correlation between PA and depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, fear of COVID-19 and smartphone addiction.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a random sample of 400 students who came from six different majors in May 2022 at the Shanghai University of Sport. Respondents completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the Chinese version of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Chinese version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the Chinese version of the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV- 19S), and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-SV). Demographics, PA, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, fear of COVID-19, and smartphone addiction were compared. A binary logistic regression model was used for the further analysis.

Results

A total of 376 college students were included in the final analysis. Binary logistics analysis showed that moderate physical activity (MPA) was negatively correlated with depression (OR = 0.95, 95%CI = 0.93-0.98), anxiety (OR = 0.97, 95%CI = 0.95-0.99), fear of COVID 19(OR = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.98-0.99)and smartphone addiction (OR = 0.94, 95%CI = 0.9-0.98) (all P < 0.05). Sedentary behavior was positively correlated with smartphone addiction (OR = 1.01, P < 0.01, 95%CI = 1.001-1.004).

Conclusion

There was an association between the presence of MPA and depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, fear of COVID-19, smartphone addiction, and sedentary behavior associated with smartphone addiction levels. Clarifying the causal relationship between PA and mental health will require further research.

Gender Differences in the Relationships between Perceived Stress, Eating Behaviors, Sleep, Dietary Risk, and Body Mass Index

Background: Obesity is a growing epidemic among university students, and the high levels of stress reported by this population could contribute to this issue. Singular relationships between perceived stress; engagement in restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep; dietary risk; and body mass index (BMI) have been reported in the current body of literature; however, these constructs interact with each other, and the complex relationships among them are infrequently examined. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the complex relationships between these constructs using mediation and moderation analyses stratified by gender. Methods: A cross-sectional study, enrolling university students from the United States (U.S.), the Netherlands, South Korea, Malaysia, Ireland, Ghana, and China, was conducted between October 2020 and January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived stress; maladaptive eating behaviors including restrained, uncontrolled, and emotional eating; sleep duration and quality; dietary risk; and BMI were assessed using validated questionnaires, which were distributed through an online platform. Results: A total of 1392 students completed the online survey (379 male, 973 female, and 40 who self-identified as “other”). Uncontrolled and emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary risk for both males and females; higher sleep quality weakened this relationship among female students but not males. Emotional eating mediated the relationship between perceived stress and BMI for both males and females, but higher sleep quality weakened this relationship only among females. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that students in higher education are likely to benefit from interventions to reduce uncontrolled and emotional eating. Programs that improve sleep quality, especially during highly stressful periods, may be helpful.