Delayed-Onset PTSD and Coping Strategies of Chinese College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Zhenxin Liao,Xueyan Zhang,Mingyi Zhao,Tingwei Wang,Xinyu Li,Yingwen Wang,Quan Zhuang

doi:10.3389/fsoc.2021.734738

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic, and many Chinese college students both in China and abroad were house-quarantined. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and symptoms of delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and coping strategies among Chinese overseas and domestic college students during this pandemic. A questionnaire was opportunistically distributed to Chinese college students studying both domestically and abroad six months after the COVID-19 outbreak. The questionnaire consisted of IES-R, SCSQ, and SSRS. The average score of delayed-onset PTSD in our population was 21.411 (full mark, 88 points), which reflected a total high level of delayed-onset PTSD symptoms. Statistical differences were shown between students who have been back to universities during the pandemic or not in the hyperarousal dimension (p = 0.016). Three coping strategies were recognized to influence the respondent’s delayed-onset PTSD symptoms, and there was a significant correlation between social support and the coping strategies students chose. A moderate to high level of delayed-onset PTSD was observed among both Chinese overseas and domestic college students 6 months after the COVID-19 outbreak. The useful coping strategies and powerful social supports are significantly important to help them stay mentally healthy and alleviate delayed-onset PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, which began in late 2019, has become a global pandemic
The age distribution is broadly consistent with the educational background, which suggests that the majority should be undergraduates or master candidates, the rest being PhD, postdocs, or visiting scholars. 85.90% of the respondents were domestic students, while 14.11% were overseas
College students show high to moderate levels of delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for 6 months after the COVID-19 outbreak

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, which began in late 2019, has become a global pandemic. Severe acute respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus transmitted by inhalation or contact with infected droplets with an incubation period ranging from 2 to 14 days (Zhang et al, 2020a). As of September 31, 2020, there have been 33, 145, 948. Delayed-Onset PTSD confirmed cases worldwide (COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), 2020). The susceptibility and transmissibility of the virus had a huge impact on many activities around the world, including medical education. It was announced that over 1 billion students across the planet have been affected by school and college closures during this pandemic (Fatani, 2020)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion