The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Postgraduate Students' Mental Health.

Zhengyan Liang,Derong Kang,Yuanlin Xia,Minqiang Zhang,Qing Zeng

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111542

Abstract

To understand the mental health status of Chinese postgraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic, we used three online questionnaires: self-rating anxiety (SAS) scale, self-rating depression (SDS) scale, and social avoidance and distress (SAD) scale. A total of 3137 postgraduate students from different regions of China participated in our study. We explored the relationship between participant characteristics and mental health using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). We found that the proportions of respondents with severe, mild, and moderate depression were 1.4%, 10.48%, and 21.99%, respectively, and the corresponding proportions of respondents with anxiety were 1.56%, 4.65%, and 14.69%, respectively. A one-way ANOVA revealed that the mental health statuses of the participants were different between the subgroups based on majors, classes, degree types, and the method of communication with advisors and students. A two-way ANOVA revealed significant effects on interaction and the method of communication with advisors and peers. These findings suggest that the mental health of postgraduate students should be monitored during the pandemic, especially when they are unable to communicate directly with their advisors or peers, and targeted psychological counselling must be focused on anxiety and depression.

Highlights

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019, the normalcy of people’s lives has not been fully restored
A total of 3137 postgraduate students participated in this study
The descriptive results of the self-rating anxiety (SAS) scales and self-rating depression (SDS) scales are shown in the table below

Summary

Introduction

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019, the normalcy of people’s lives has not been fully restored. Because this disease is highly contagious, isolation is one of the most effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and long periods of isolation, semi-segregation, or social control have a huge impact on various aspects of people’s lives, such as learning and work. In response to the changes brought by the closure of educational institutions due to the pandemic, a large number of scholars conducted research on college students in their respective countries.

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion