College Students In Mainland China Research Articles

Resilience and Prosocial Behavior Among Chinese University Students During COVID-19 Mitigation: Testing Mediation and Moderation Models of Social Support.

PurposeSuffering during events such as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens university students’ physical and psychological health. Given the literature indicating the protective role of resilience and social support, the current study explored the mediating and moderating roles of social support in the association between resilience and prosocial behavior among university students in mainland China during COVID-19 mitigation.MethodsWe conducted an online survey using convenience sampling from 23rd February to 3rd March 2020 among Chinese university students who had encountered home-quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-report scales were used to measure levels of resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), social support (the Social Support Scale), and prosocial behavior (Prosocial Tendencies Measure). A total of 313 university students participated in this online survey. Hayes PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the hypothesized mediating and moderating effects of social support in the relationship between resilience and prosocial behavior.ResultsPearson’s correlations analysis showed that all outcomes of interest were positively associated. Importantly, social support (subjective support, objective support, and support utilization) mediated the indirect link of resilience with prosocial behavior. Furthermore, moderation analyses indicated that support utilization played a moderating role in this link. Support utilization may reduce the negative influence of COVID-19 on university students’ prosocial behavior and serve as a protective factor between resilience and prosocial behavior in highly stressful contexts.ConclusionOur findings enrich research on prosocial behavior by investigating the potential internal and external variables that influence such behavior during periods of suffering. Findings also provide evidence for the need to promote university students’ prosocial behavior.

Prevalence of mental health problems among college students in mainland China from 2010 to 2020: A meta-analysis

<p id="p00005">College students are a huge part and an important member of the young people. Their physical and mental health not only directly affects their own long-term development, but also has a significant influence on the future of the nation. Therefore, the mental health of college students has become the focus of families, schools and even the whole society. In recent years, some studies have conducted meta-analyses on the prevalence of a certain mental health problem (such as depression and sleep problem) among college students in China, but such studies cannot reflect the mental health status of college students comprehensively. And some of the previous studies cannot reflect the current status of contemporary college students’ mental health. Furthermore, the selection of moderator variables was not comprehensive enough to reveal the key factors affecting the prevalence. Therefore, we employed a meta-analysis in this study to estimate the prevalence of typical mental health problems among college students in mainland China from 2010 to 2020, and the moderating effects of publication year, measurement tools and detection standards, detection time, region, birthplace, only child or not were further analyzed. For the selection of indicators, mental health problems were divided into two categories: internalizing problems and externalizing problems. The indicators of internalizing problems include anxiety, depression, sleep problem, somatization, and suicidal ideation, while the indicators of externalizing problems include nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide attempt. <br/>Through the process of literature search and selection, 128 studies (136 effect sizes) of anxiety, 237 studies (244 effect sizes) of depression, 56 studies (58 effect sizes) of sleep problem, 49 studies (49 effect sizes) of somatization, 31 studies (31 effect sizes) of nonsuicidal self-injury, 51 studies (51 effect sizes) of suicide ideation, and 8 studies (8 effect sizes) of suicide attempt were included in this study. Homogeneity test indicated that random effects model was appropriate for the meta-analysis. The p-curve analysis illustrated no publication bias. Ultimately, the results of the main effect test showed that the prevalence rates of sleep problem, depression, nonsuicidal self-injury, anxiety, suicidal ideation, somatization, and suicide attempt were 23.5%, 20.8%, 16.2%, 13.7%, 10.8%, 4.5%, and 2.7%, respectively. The results indicate that internalizing problems, especially sleep problem and emotional problem, are more serious among Chinese college students compared to externalizing problems. <br/>The results of the moderating effect indicated that (1) The prevalence of anxiety, depression, sleep problem and suicide attempt among college students has increased significantly in the last decade, while the prevalence of self-harm has declined significantly; (2) The prevalence of anxiety, depression, sleep problem, and somatization varied significantly between measurement tools and detection standards, and the prevalence of suicidal ideation differed to a significant extent depending on the detection time. Therefore, the fluctuation of prevalence was accounted by measurement tools, detection standards and detection time. (3) There existed obvious regional differences in the prevalence of sleep problem and suicidal ideation, with the feature of the worst mental health among college students in western China and better mental health among college students in northeastern and central China. (4) The prevalence of mental health problems among demographical variables including gender, only child or not, and birthplace showed no significant difference, which indicated that gender, only child or not, urban or rural areas were not the critical factors influencing college students’ mental health. <br/>In summary, by employing the method of meta-analysis, this study is the first study to systematically investigate the prevalence of the typical mental health problems of college students in mainland China from 2010 to 2020. The results clarified the controversy over the inconsistent prevalence in previous studies and explored the main reasons for the inconsistent findings. Thus, this meta-analysis is conducive to promoting subsequent studies and educational practice.

Discordance between perceived risk and actual risky sexual behaviors among undergraduate university students in mainland China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundHIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care services might be hampered by inaccurate risk assessment. This study aimed to investigate the extent of and factors associated with the discordance between perceived risk and actual risky sexual behaviors among undergraduates in mainland China, guided by the Anderson's behavioral model.MethodsThis study involved a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected during the fall semester of 2018–2019 academic year. The present analysis was restricted to 8808 undergraduates with low risk perception. Those who had low perceived risk but actually engaged in risky sexual behaviors were categorized as risk discordance (RD). Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with RD.ResultsOverall, the discordance rate between perceived and actual risk was 8.5% (95% CI: 7.9%-9.1%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis indicated that non-heterosexual women (AOR = 0.41, 95% CI:0.27–0.60), heterosexual men (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI:0.33–0.61) and women (AOR = 0.26, 95% CI:0.19–0.35) were less likely to exhibit RD, when compared with non- heterosexual men. Furthermore, non-freshmen (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI:1.30–1.90), early initiators of sexual intercourse (AOR = 5.82, 95% CI:4.10–8.26), and those who had lower levels of HIV knowledge (AOR = 1.28, 95% CI:1.08–1.51), displayed higher levels of stigma against PLHIV (AOR = 1.50, 95% CI:1.26–1.77) and had ever been tested for HIV (AOR = 1.36, 95% CI:1.04–1.77) were more prone to reporting RD. Those with more enabling resources [i.e., displaying high levels of condom use self-efficacy (AOR = 0.70, 95% CI:0.59–0.84) and being knowledge of local testing center (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI:0.60–0.83)] were less likely to report RD. However, spending more than 2000 Yuan a month on basic needs (AOR = 2.55, 95% CI:2.07–3.14), residing in urban areas (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI:1.15–1.59) and being knowledgeable of the national AIDS policy (AOR = 1.40,95% CI:1.18–1.66) increased the chance of exhibiting RD.ConclusionsComprehensive interventions, including targeting students with high-risk characteristics, improving the acceptability of PrEP and PEP, conducting health education, enhancing self-efficacy for using condoms and making opt-out HIV testing routine in college campus, should be taken to reduce the discordance between perceived and actual HIV risk and finally to reach the goal of Zero AIDS.

The effect of self-regulated writing strategies on students’ L2 writing engagement and disengagement behaviors

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a topic of increasing interest in the field of language learning and instruction. In this study, we set out to investigate the relationship between students' use of SRL strategies in second language (L2) writing, their L2 writing engagement, and L2 writing procrastination. Data were collected from college students in mainland China (N = 816) related to their SRL strategy use, L2 writing engagement, and L2 writing procrastination. SRL strategy use for L2 writing was found to be an important predictor of student engagement in their writing class, and results from mediation analyses confirmed a full mediation effect from students' SRL strategy use to L2 writing procrastination through their engagement in L2 writing class. Student engagement in L2 writing class also significantly and negatively predicted students' procrastination in L2 writing. These findings suggest that the use of SRL strategies functions as an important antecedent to student engagement in their writing class, and that these jointly reduce student procrastination in L2 writing. Given the essential role SRL strategy use plays in student engagement in L2 writing classrooms, which in turn reduces student writing procrastination, we discuss the importance of explicitly supporting students’ SRL strategy use.

Human papillomavirus vaccination coverage and knowledge, perceptions and influencing factors among university students in Guangzhou, China

ABSTRACT Introduction: HPV vaccines were administered in mainland China from July 2017 at a gradual rate. We aimed to assess the vaccination rate and vaccination influencing factors among college students in mainland China. Methods: From October to December 2018, we conducted face-to-face questionnaires including 5 sections and 22 questions to collect demographic information, HPV infection and transmission knowledge, HPV vaccine knowledge and attitudes among college students in Guangzhou, China. HPV vaccine vaccination status and cervical screening behaviors were self-reported. Knowledge and attitudes differences between the vaccinate and non-vaccinate groups were analyzed using univariable logistic regression. Vaccination-related influencing factors were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Results: 5307 of 5414 valid questionnaires were collected. The self-reported cervical screening rate and HPV vaccine coverage were 11.82% (9.03%-14.61%) and 3.09% (2.62%-3.56%). In total, 55.57% of the participants were hesitant about vaccination. Urban residence (OR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.4–3.3), high monthly consumption (OR = 2.6, 95%CI: 1.9–3.6), awareness of vaccination adaptive population (OR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.9–5.0), awareness of infection-related risk factors (OR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.1–5.7), and awareness of HPV vaccine effectiveness (OR = 3.2, 95%CI: 2.0–5.2) were significant in multivariable logistic regression. Conclusion: HPV vaccine coverage is quite low among college students in China Guangzhou. Economic affordability, awareness of HPV infection, and belief in the effectiveness of HPV vaccine are influencing factors for vaccination. In the future, establishing a national financial subsidy and strengthening health education is needed to increase the vaccination rate in China.

Religiousness predicts quality of university life among university students with different religion types

ABSTRACT This study explores the relationships among religious involvement, religious coping, and quality of university life among university students in mainland China. The religious involvement scale, the brief RCOPE, and the quality of university life measure were administered to 1623 university students from 135 universities. Results showed that positive religious coping and religious involvement significantly positively predicted quality of university life, while negative religious coping significantly negatively predicted quality of university life. The contributions, limitations and implications of this research are discussed.

How Do University Students' Perceptions of the Instructor's Role Influence Their Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction in Cloud-Based Virtual Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

This study examined the relationships between the role of the instructor and university students’ learning outcomes in cloud-based classrooms during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. The results of an online survey of 7,210 university students in mainland China revealed that the students’ perceived learning outcomes and learning satisfaction were positively related to instructor innovation and negatively related to instructor performance. Instructional support was positively related to the students’ perceived learning outcomes but not directly related to their learning satisfaction. The students’ academic self-efficacy mediated the influence of instructional support and instructor innovation on their perceived learning outcomes and learning satisfaction. The results contribute to knowledge of the role instructors play in facilitating students’ learning outcomes in higher education and suggest ways to improve the learning environment and learning outcomes, especially in cloud-based virtual classrooms.

Intention to Receive the COVID-19 Vaccination in China: Application of the Diffusion of Innovations Theory and the Moderating Role of Openness to Experience.

COVID-19 has caused a devastating impact on public health and made the development of the COVID-19 vaccination a top priority. Herd immunity through vaccination requires a sufficient number of the population to be vaccinated. Research on factors that promote intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccination is warranted. Based on Diffusion of Innovations Theory, this study examines the association between the perceived efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccination, use of social media for COVID-19 vaccine-related information, openness to experience and descriptive norm with the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, and the moderating role of openness to experience among 6922 university students in mainland China. The intention to receive the free and self-paid COVID-19 vaccination is 78.9% and 60.2%, respectively. Results from path analyses show that perceived efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccination, use of social media for COVID-19 vaccine-related information, and openness to experience and descriptive norm are all positively associated with the intention to receive COVID-19 free and self-paid vaccination. The association between the perceived efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccination and descriptive norm with the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccination is stronger among those with a lower level of openness to experience. Our findings support the usefulness of Diffusion of Innovations Theory and the moderating role of openness of experience in explaining intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

Factors affecting the willingness of college students in Mainland China to pay for mobile learning

With the increasing popularity of mobile internet technology and devices in China, mobile learning is on the rise. College students, the main users of smart devices, have become consumers. Based on the theory of perceived value, this study uses social factors (including interpersonal influence and online word of mouth) and personal payment awareness to build a model of students' willingness to pay for mobile learning, aiming to explore its determinants. The results show that personal payment awareness, perceived value, and interpersonal influence have a significant impact on their willingness to pay. Among them, perceived quality, perceived mobility value, and perceived value have significant positive correlations, while perceived risk and perceived value have significant negative correlations.

Religious orientation, religious involvement, and religious coping predict university students’ thinking styles

ABSTRACT This study explores how religious orientation, religious involvement, and religious coping are related to thinking styles among university students in mainland China. The Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II (TSI-R2), Age Universal Intrinsic/Extrinsic Scale-12, the religious involvement scale, and the brief RCOPE were administered to 933 students. Results showed these three inventories are reliable among Chinese students, and that religiousness significantly positively predicted Type I thinking styles (i.e. more creativity-generating, less structured, and cognitively more complex). This study implicated that university students’ religious orientation, religious involvement, and religious coping deserve attention; professional religious personnel could promote students’ Type I thinking styles by increasing their religiousness within the legal places of worship; religious university students may improve their Type I thinking styles through more actively participate in off campus religious activities. The limitations and contributions of this research are also discussed.

Thinking Styles and Career Decision-making Self-efficacy among Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and Hearing Students

ABSTRACT This study explores how students’ thinking styles are related to their career decision-making self-efficacy, by administering the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II and the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form to 484 deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) and 449 hearing university students in mainland China. Results show that, among all participants, those with Type I styles (i.e., more creativity-generating, less structured, and cognitively more complex) had higher levels of career decision-making self-efficacy, while those with Type II styles (i.e., more norm-favoring, more structured, and cognitively more simplistic) had lower levels. The contributions, limitations, and implications of the present research are discussed.

Factors affecting the willingness of college students in mainland China to pay for mobile learning

With the increasing popularity of mobile internet technology and devices in China, mobile learning is on the rise. College students, the main users of smart devices, have become consumers. Based on the theory of perceived value, this study uses social factors (including interpersonal influence and online word of mouth) and personal payment awareness to build a model of students' willingness to pay for mobile learning, aiming to explore its determinants. The results show that personal payment awareness, perceived value, and interpersonal influence have a significant impact on their willingness to pay. Among them, perceived quality, perceived mobility value, and perceived value have significant positive correlations, while perceived risk and perceived value have significant negative correlations.

Life Course Prevalence of Bullying among University Students in Mainland China: A Multi-university Study.

Little is known about the life course prevalence of bullying among university students. The current study examined the prevalence of bullying in different life periods among multi-university students. Our study included 4,034 university students from four types of universities. Participants self-reported four types of bullying (i.e., physical, verbal, relational, and cyber) with bullies and victims, and four periods (i.e., primary school or earlier, middle school, high school, and postsecondary education). Overall, the percentage of university students experiencing at least one type of bullying victimization (BV) and bullying perpetration (BP) during their lifetime was 59.7% and 31.6%, respectively; the percentage of the university students experiencing more than two types of BV and BP was 16.3% and 7.4%, respectively. The prevalence rates of each type of BV and BP were the highest in elementary school or earlier, and these rates decreased from elementary school or earlier to postsecondary education period. Four latent classes were identified for BV: low BV (73.8%), moderate BV (18.6%), secondary school BV (4.4%), and persistent BV (3.2%). Similarly, four classes for BP were identified: low BP (86.6%), primary school BP (8.1%), high school BP (1.5%), and persistent BP (3.8%). These findings may inform school health practice of bullying prevention by taking prevention programs, especially during elementary school or earlier period.

Human papillomavirus vaccination: coverage rate, knowledge, acceptance, and associated factors in college students in mainland China

ABSTRACT In China, there are about 131,500 new cases of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection every year. However, studies focused on the related cognitions in the general college-going population, who belong to an at-risk age group and are of childbearing age, are relatively limited. Thus, this cross-sectional online survey study, conducted from December 2018 to March 2019, sought to investigate HPV vaccination rates, knowledge, acceptance, and associated factors in this population. Descriptive analysis and ordinal logistic regression analysis were conducted to analyze the factors associated with HPV vaccination intention. A total of 1,029 questionnaires were collected, of which 1,022 were valid (males: 267, females: 755). As per the results, only 3.1% of the sample had been vaccinated against HPV. The overall levels of knowledge about HPV and its vaccination were low. Male students’ knowledge about HPV types, infection symptoms, vaccination cycles, and preventable diseases was significantly lower than that of female students. As for acceptance, only 36.9% of females and 24.8% of males indicated that they would choose to undergo HPV vaccination. Chinese college students’ knowledge of HPV and its vaccination is limited. More than half of the sample was unsure about undergoing HPV vaccination, with concerns about safety and effectiveness serving as the main barriers. Measures such as strengthening health education, improving vaccination safety and effectiveness, and reducing vaccine prices should be taken to promote HPV vaccination among Chinese college students.

Association of ADHD symptoms, depression and suicidal behaviors with anxiety in Chinese medical college students

BackgroundAnxiety is one of the most common psychiatric disorder and imposes a great burden on both the individual and the society. Previous studies indicate a high comorbidity of anxiety disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, few studies have examined the comorbidity of anxiety and ADHD among medical college students in mainland China. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of anxiety and the associated risk factor of anxiety disorder as well as to explore the association between ADHD symptoms, depression, suicidal behaviors and anxiety.MethodsA cross-sectional design was employed among 4882 medical college students who were recruited and enrolled with convenience sampling. Self-reported demographic information and clinical characteristics were collected online on a computer or through a social media app named Wechat.ResultsThe prevalence of anxiety in this study was 19.9%. Students with anxiety were more likely to have a poor relationship with parents, be of Han nationality, have smoking or drinking habits, have an extensive physical disorder history and have engaged in suicidal behaviors. The independent risk factors for anxiety were: smoking, physical disorder history, suicidal ideations, suicide attempts, inattention and hyperactivity. Significant associations were observed between anxiety and depression, inattention, hyperactivity, suicide plans and suicide attempts.ConclusionsNearly one in five medical students suffered from anxiety. The findings of this study indicate the importance of addressing both anxiety and ADHD symptoms in order to better promote mental health and the well-being of medical students as well as reduce suicidal behaviors.

Examining associations between university students' mobile social media use, online self-presentation, social support and sense of belonging

PurposeThe primary objectives of the article are to systematically investigate the effects of differentiated functions of WeChat use (social use and recreational use) on university students' online self-presentation, social support and sense of belonging.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from a web-based survey on a sample of 485 university students in mainland China. Correlation analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM) were implemented to address the corresponding hypotheses.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the social use of WeChat is positively related to online self-presentation, whereas recreational use is unrelated to such behavior. Additionally, the findings verify that online self-presentation is a significant predictor of both social support and sense of belonging. Furthermore, online self-presentation could mediate the influence of social use of WeChat on social support and sense of belonging.Research limitations/implicationsTheoretically, the study represents an initial effort to elucidate the joint impact of differentiated functions of WeChat use and online self-presentation on social support and sense of belonging. Practically, these findings identify the crucial mediation role of online self-presentation in assisting individuals to acquire social support and promote sense of belonging.Originality/valueAlthough mobile social media has brought dramatic revolutions in interaction and interpersonal behaviors, the empirically studies regarding the potential influences of its utilization are equivocal. These outcomes may shed meaningful light on the comprehending of unique characteristics of WeChat communication and how it could impact people's psychosocial development in the digital era.

Evaluating the Dimensionality and Psychometric Properties of the Brief Self-Control Scale Amongst Chinese University Students.

The aim of this study was to assess the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) using a sample of university students in mainland China. Nine hundred and three students from a Chinese university participated in this study. The internal consistency, criterion validity, factorial validity and construct validity of the scale were examined. The Chinese versions of the BSCS demonstrated good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.81. The BSCS also showed significant moderate correlations with other construct-related scales. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) suggested that only a modified 11-item BSCS with a four-factor structure was a good model fit in the sample of Chinese university students, as χ2 (106.626)/37 = 2.88, SRMR = 0.036, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.992, Tucker-Lewis fit index (TLI) = 0.989, RMSEA = 0.046. The implications for research and theoretical development are discussed.

The impact of religious involvement on the relationship between religious orientation and religious coping

ABSTRACT This study explores the relationships among religious orientation, religious involvement, and religious coping among university students in mainland China. The AUIES-12, the religious involvement scale, and the brief RCOPE were administered to 977 undergraduate students from one comprehensive university. Results showed that: (1) religious orientation significantly predicted religious coping; (2) religious involvement significantly predicted religious coping; and, (3) religious involvement mediated the relationships between religious orientation and religious coping. The contributions, limitations and implications of this research are discussed.

The link between family violence in childhood and internalizing and externalizing problems in later life among college students in China: attachment as a mediator

ABSTRACTRelatively limited information about the relationship between family violence in childhood, attachment, and mental health problems in later life exits in mainland China. Given the growing demand for recognition of the international aspects of social work, this study examines the relationship between witnessing interparental violence, the experience of childhood abuse and mental health problems among college students in mainland China, and the role of attachment in this relationship. By utilizing a retrospective exploratory quantitative research design, 236 college students were recruited from one university in Beijing, China. Participants completed a series of questionnaires inquiring about their past experiences with childhood maltreatment and witnessing interparental violence measured by the Conflict Tactics Scale (Couple and Parent–Child Forms), adult attachment in current close relationships measured by the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, and internalizing and externalizing mental health problems measured by Achenbach’s Adult Behavior Checklist. Results show that family violence, especially witnessing interparental psychological violence, has a significant relationship to mental health problems in later life, and insecure attachment works as a mediator in this relationship. The findings suggest strong global attention and action to build and nourish a violence-free and healthy family environment.

Measuring Virtues in Chinese Culture: Development of a Chinese Moral Character Questionnaire

This paper describes the development and validation of the Chinese Moral Character Questionnaire (CMCQ), an instrument that measures seven key moral character attributes highlighted in Confucian culture. The CMCQ was developed based on both expert review and focus group interviews with 39 Chinese university students in mainland China and Hong Kong. Its psychometric properties were examined with a sample of 565 university students in Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis retained 46 items and seven factors and the seven-factor structure was further validated by confirmatory factor analysis. We found that CMCQ subscales had satisfactory internal consistency (α ranged from 0.78 to 0.85). Convergent validity of the CMCQ subscales was supported by their positive correlations with life satisfaction and positive affect, and their negative correlations with negative affect, depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. All virtues had positive correlations with individual strengths. The findings indicate that the CMCQ is a promising tool for measuring the development of moral competence in Confucian culture, an important supplement to the character strength framework.