Impacts of Stress and Risk Perception on Mental Health of College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Coping Efficacy.

Fuming Xu,Long Huang

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.767189

Fuming Xu, Long Huang

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.767189

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Abstract

ObjectIn this study, we aimed to explore the influences of pandemic stress, risk perception, and coping efficacy on the mental health of Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA nationally representative sample of Chinese college students (N = 3,381, Mage = 20.85, SDage = 1.31) took part in an online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correlation coefficients, structural equation modeling, and other statistical analysis methods were used for data analysis.Results(1) The Chinese college students' pandemic stress and perceived pandemic risk were found to be moderate (3.51 ± 0.83, 3.45 ± 0.94), whereas their perceived infection risk was lower (2.10 ± 0.67). Their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic was found to be good (3.80 ± 0.73). (2) The quality of their mental health was significantly and negatively associated with pandemic stress, perceived pandemic risk, and perceived infection risk. The level of their mental health was significantly and positively associated with coping efficacy, and their coping efficacy was significantly and negatively associated with pandemic stress, perceived pandemic risk, and perceived infection risk.ConclusionCoping efficacy played a partial mediating role in the relationship between pandemic stress and mental health, coping efficacy played a partial mediating role in the relationship between perceived infection risk and mental health, and coping efficacy played a complete mediating role in the relationship between perceived pandemic risk and mental health. Our findings show the importance of fostering college students' coping efficacy to improve their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic broke out in late 2019 in Wuhan, China
We tested for gender differences in relation to the college students’ pandemic stress, risk perception, and mental health
The gender-difference test showed that the levels of pandemic stress and risk perception among female college students were slightly higher than those of male college students

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic broke out in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. The pandemic was officially recognized as one of the greatest “public health emergencies in the world” by the WHO on January 31, 2020, and it reached pandemic status throughout the world on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused panic, anxiety, and depression among those affected by it. This chain reaction triggered by negative emotion can be expected to further endanger the public’s mental health, especially among children and adolescents [1,2,3]. It is worth mentioning that a latest and global systematic review, which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between January 1, 2020, and January 29, 2021, and included 204 countries and territories, showed that daily COVID-19 infection rates and reductions in human mobility were associated with an increased prevalence of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. It is important to investigate mental health status and its influencing factors on young college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A two-sided p below 0.05 was considered statistically significant

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