Abstract
BackgroundWe aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms as well as suicide-related ideation among Japanese university students during the stay-home order necessitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Japan, and offer evidence in support of future intervention to depression and suicide prevention strategies among college and university students.MethodsThe data for this cross-sectional study were derived from the Student Mental Health Survey conducted from May 20 to June 16, 2020 at a national university in Akita prefecture. Among the 5111 students recruited, 2712 participated in this study (response rate, 53%; mean age ± standard deviation, 20.5 ±3.5 years; men, 53.8%). Depressive symptoms were identified by using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).ResultsThe prevalence of moderate depressive symptoms based on a PHQ-9 score ≥10 and suicide-related ideation based on question 9 of PHQ-9 ≥1, which encompasses thoughts of both suicide and self-harm, was 11.7% and 6.7%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that risk factors for depression included being a woman, smoking, alcohol consumption, and social network communication using either video or voice. For suicide-related ideation, alcohol consumption was the only risk factor. Exercise and having someone to consult about worries were associated with decreased risk of both depressive symptoms and suicide-related ideation.ConclusionsNegative lifestyles of smoking and drinking, and being a woman, may be important risk factors for depressive symptoms, whereas exercise and having someone to consult about worries may be protective factors.
Highlights
The outbreak of the infectious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, subsequently spreading to the extent of becoming a global pandemic
11.6% of the sample scored ≥10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which was indicative of depressive symptoms (11.2% of men; 12.0% of women) and 6.7% scored ≥1 on question 9 of the PHQ-9 (6.7% of men; 6.6% of women), which was indicative of suicide-related ideation
Japan did not enforce a strict lockdown like other countries, we still found that university students experienced psychological burden, with approximately 11% manifesting a moderate level of depressive symptoms, identified by a PHQ-9 score ≥10
Summary
The outbreak of the infectious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, subsequently spreading to the extent of becoming a global pandemic. Among the special measures against COVID-19 in Japan, the governor of each prefecture is empowered to call on residents to stay at home (selfquarantine) and refrain from going out. Owing to the Japanese Constitution’s emphasis on the protection of citizens’ rights, a forced lockdown of cities through the imposition of fines on people going out without permission, as implemented in parts of Europe and the USA, was not possible. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms as well as suicide-related ideation among Japanese university students during the stay-home order necessitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Japan, and offer evidence in support of future intervention to depression and suicide prevention strategies among college and university students
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