Mental health prevalence and predictors among university students in nine countries during the COVID-19 pandemic : a cross-national study
Faculty/Professorship: | Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment |
Author(s): | Ochnik, Dominika; Rogowska, Aleksandra M; Kuśnierz, Cezary; Jakubiak, Monika; Schütz, Astrid ![]() ![]() |
Publisher Information: | Bamberg : Otto-Friedrich-Universität |
Year of publication: | 2021 |
Pages: | 13 |
Source/Other editions: | Scientific reports 11 (2021) Article number: 18644, S. 1-13, ISSN 2045-2322 |
is version of: | 10.1038/s41598-021-97697-3 |
Language(s): | English |
DOI: | 10.20378/irb-52053 |
Licence: | Creative Commons - CC BY-NC-ND - Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives 4.0 International |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-021-97697-3 |
URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:473-irb-520532 |
Abstract: | The student population has been highly vulnerable to the risk of mental health deterioration during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to reveal the prevalence and predictors of mental health among students in Poland, Slovenia, Czechia, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Israel, and Colombia in a socioeconomic context during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted among 2349 students (69% women) from May–July 2020. Data were collected by means of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Gender Inequality Index (GII), Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings, the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), and a sociodemographic survey. Descriptive statistics and Bayesian multilevel skew-normal regression analyses were conducted. The prevalence of high stress, depression, and generalized anxiety symptoms in the total sample was 61.30%, 40.3%, and 30%, respectively. The multilevel Bayesian model showed that female sex was a credible predictor of PSS-10, GAD-7, and PHQ-8 scores. In addition, place of residence (town) and educational level (first-cycle studies) were risk factors for the PHQ-8. This study showed that mental health issues are alarming in the student population. Regular psychological support should be provided to students by universities. |
GND Keywords: | COVID-19; Student; Psychische Gesundheit; Internationaler Vergleich |
Keywords: | COVID-19, mental health |
DDC Classification: | 150 Psychology |
RVK Classification: | CV 8000 |
Peer Reviewed: | Ja |
International Distribution: | Ja |
Open Access Journal: | Ja |
Type: | Article |
URI: | https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/52053 |
Release Date: | 8. December 2021 |
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University of Bamberg
University of Bamberg