Mental health of junior college students in China during COVID-19 school lockdown: Findings of on-line cross-sectional survey

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, junior students who had recently entered university may have experienced particular difficulties. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of anxiety, depression, and sleep status among junior college students during school closure. Junior college students from 3colleges in Anhui Province participated in this study from 6th to 20th April, 2022. The students’ data were collected using a designed online questionnaire developed on the “Wen juan xing” website and submitted via cell phone. Ordinal logistic regression analysis indicated that female sex was an independent risk factor for increased anxiety, depression, and insomnia (anxiety: OR 1.503, 95% CI 1.191–1.897; depression: OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.023–1.270; ISI OR 2.052, 95% CI 1.646–2.559). Notably, medical specialty was an independent risk factor for depression and anxiety (anxiety: OR 1.367, 95% CI 1.078–1.734; depression: OR 1.289, 95% CI 1.148–1.448). Moreover, being a freshman was a risk factor for increased depression and insomnia (depression: OR 1.036,95% CI 0.931–1.153; insomnia: (OR 1.157,95% CI 0.961–1.394). The findings indicate that a considerable portion of junior college students experienced psychological problems due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.