Abstract
Objectives: To explore the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the factors influencing mental health symptoms in students aged 8–18 in Wuhan, China at 6 months after the COVID-19 pandemic was controlled.Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to students aged 8–18 in Wuhan through an online platform from September to October 2020, and 15,993 valid surveys were returned, resulting in a response rate of 75.4%. The data related to symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, stress and psychological inflexibility levels, as well as demographic information about the population. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the predictive effects.Results: In total, 11.5% of the students met the criteria for clinically concerning PTSD symptoms. Psychological inflexibility was associated with PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (β = 0.45, 0.63, 0.65 and 0.69, respectively, with ΔR2 = 0.16, 0.32, 0.34 and 0.39, respectively, p < 0.001) in children and adolescents.Conclusion: This study investigated the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health status among students aged 8–18 in Wuhan. Even at 6 months after the outbreak was brought under control, some students were still affected. Psychological inflexibility was correlated with psychological symptoms in students. Therefore, methods to reduce psychological inflexibility may help improve the mental health states of students as part of psychological interventions.
Highlights
The recent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak is characterized by rapid transmission and wide infection range, presenting great difficulty for effective control
Only child or not, age, perceived family atmosphere, perceived family economic level, personal physical health status and knowing people who were infected, were all found to be significantly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (Model 1, Table 3)
This study found that 6 months after the control of COVID19, the prevalence of PTSD symptoms among adolescents in Wuhan was 11.5%
Summary
The recent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak is characterized by rapid transmission and wide infection range, presenting great difficulty for effective control. CEST, July 12th, 2021, COVID-19 had spread to 223 countries, with 186,638,285 people infected and 4,035,037 related death [World Health Organization (WHO), 2021]. This public health emergency has endangered people’s physical. To limit the spread of the virus, the government advised people to reduce their social activities and maintain social distance, which can increase isolation, loneliness, stress, and anxiety [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2020]. COVID-19 cases were first reported in Wuhan, and the city was quickly shut down to limit spread. It is important to assess these impacts to assess the mental health of the local people in Wuhan, to guide mental health intervention, and to provide theoretical support for study of the mental health of people in other parts of the world affected by the pandemic
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