First-Year University Students’ Mental Health Trajectories Were Disrupted at the Onset of COVID-19, but Disruptions Were Not Linked to Housing and Financial Vulnerabilities: A Registered Report

This study modeled disruptions in first-year undergraduates’ trajectories of mental health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, testing whether disruptions were worse for students who moved residences, reported low family income, or were food insecure. Participants ( n = 510) at a large Canadian university reported depression, anxiety, and stress in September, November, January, and March. In March 2020, in tandem with COVID-related campus closures, students also reported for each mental health measure whether their responses were influenced by personal experiences surrounding the pandemic. As hypothesized, students who reported feeling more COVID-related disruption reported poorer mental health in March. Contrary to hypotheses, mental health disruptions were not more pronounced for students who moved, had low income, or were food insecure. Survey administration at an early stage of COVID-19 combined with supports afforded by moving in with parents and near-universal government income assistance may have mitigated the incremental distress we hypothesized for vulnerable students.

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Factors associated with depressive episode among first year University students in Serbia

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.1037 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

S Čanković ◽

D Čanković ◽

I Radić ◽

D Rakić ◽

S Ukropina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

University Students ◽

Depressive Episode ◽

Social Health ◽

Support Network ◽

First Year ◽

Behavioral Factors ◽

First Year University

Abstract Background Some findings indicate that university students are at higher risk of depression despite being a socially advantaged population, showing that 15 to 25% of them develop some type of mental disorder during graduation, and depression is one of the most prevalent. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with gender, material status, social health, and behavioral factors among university students. Methods The research represents a cross-sectional study conducted at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. The research involved 455 first-year students. The average age of participants was 19.3 years (72.1% girls and 27.9% boys). Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to measure depressive symptoms (cut point for depressive episode ≥10). Additional questions were focused on self-assessed material status, social health, and behavioral factors (smoking and alcohol use). The binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between depression and observed independent variables. Results The prevalence of moderate to severe depressive episode among students was 18.0%, with no gender differences. Out of the total, 11.0% of students had suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting themselves. Multivariable logistic regression showed that self-assessed poor material status (OR = 2.04; 95%CI: 1.06-3.89), self-assessed poor social health (OR = 8.9; 95%CI:4.87-16.42) and smoking (OR = 2.18; 95%CI: 1.09-4.39) were significant predictors of depression among first-year university students. Conclusions High prevalence of depressive episode among university students call for the action for the promotion of mental health, particularly among those of lower socioeconomic status, and points out the importance of social health and social network in the prevention of mental disorders. Key messages Students on the first year of University should be screened for depressive symptoms. It is important to educate students on how to create a strong support network and to implement intervention programs for improving mental health through fostering healthy lifestyles change.

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Sleep quality and anxiety symptoms in Egyptian children and adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

Bulletin of the National Research Centre ◽

10.1186/s42269-021-00590-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Amira Sayed El Refay ◽

Shaimaa A. Hashem ◽

Hend H. Mostafa ◽

Iman H. Kamel ◽

Lobna S. Sherif

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Low Income ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Family Income ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Egyptian Children

Abstract Background Coronavirus Disease Pandemic 2019 has a pervasive effect on all health aspects include psychological and mental health. This study aimed to assess the hidden stressful impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Egyptian children and adolescents’ lifestyles 2 months after lockdown in Egypt by detecting symptoms of anxiety and sleep disorders. Online questionnaire was used by snowball sampling approach 2 months after lockdown targeting children and adolescents. Results The overall mean Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children score (SDSC) in participated groups was 44.6 ± 11.72. Of 765 participants 502 (65.6%) showed the symptoms suggestive of sleep disorder. Disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep were the most common among participants as 168 (33.4%) of them were suffering from it while 79 (15.7%) children were suffering from excessive somnolence. Linear stepwise regression revealed that anxiety score, understanding safety measures, and following strict quarantine measures significantly predicted SDSC (p = 0.001, 0.009, 0.046). Significant positive correlations were found between SDSC and extra screen usage, understanding safety and quarantine measures, anxiety signs, and change in child lifestyle with (p = 0.029, 0.010, 0.001 and 0.001) sequentially. Significant positive correlation was found between family income affection, SDSC, and anxiety with p value (00.001, 00.4). Conclusion Child deprived of his or her normal lifestyle is vulnerable to develop anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbances. Low income, extra screen time, and restricted quarantine measures are all contributing factors that influence children and adolescent’s mental health.

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Predictors of Mental Health and School-Related Outcomes in First Year University Students: Identifying Prevention Targets

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3543616 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Anne Duffy ◽

Charles Keown-Stoneman ◽

Sarah Goodday ◽

Julie Horrocks ◽

Matthew Lowe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

University Students ◽

First Year ◽

First Year University

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Lingering effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of first-year university students in Japan

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0262550 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. e0262550

Author(s):

Ryo Horita ◽

Akihiro Nishio ◽

Mayumi Yamamoto

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

High Risk ◽

University Students ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Japanese Version ◽

Subscale Score ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

First Year University

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is continuing unabated in Japan, as of October 2021. We aimed to compare first-year university students’ psychological distress before the pandemic in 2019, during the pandemic in 2020, and one year after the onset of the pandemic, in 2021. Methods The study conducted online surveys over three years from April to May each year. Participants were 400 first-year students in 2019, 766 in 2020, and 738 in 2021. We examined differences in scores on the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms—Japanese version (CCAPS-Japanese) between the three years using a one-way analysis of variance, and differences in the CCAPS-Japanese critical items using chi-squared test and residual analysis. Results The average scores on the Depression and Generalized Anxiety subscale in 2021 were significantly higher than those in 2020, but remained the same as in 2019. The Academic Distress subscale score in 2020 was the worst compared to 2019 and 2021. Meanwhile, the number of students who experienced severe suicidal ideation increased year by year from 2019 to 2021. Conclusion The mean mental health of first-year university students worsened after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and recovered to the pre-pandemic level over the next two years. However, the number of high-risk students with suicidal ideation continued to increase. A system is required for early detection and support for students at high risk of mental health issues.

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The Adaptation of a Brief Adolescent Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS), the Student Subjective Well-Being Scale in the Indonesian Context [Adaptasi BASWBSS, Skala Kesejahteraan Subjektif Siswa dalam Konteks Indonesia]

ANIMA Indonesian Psychological Journal ◽

10.24123/aipj.v36i2.2277 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 184-203

Author(s):

Wuri Prasetyawati ◽

Tjut Rifameutia ◽

Robyn Gillies ◽

Peter Newcombe

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Well Being ◽

First Year ◽

Reliability Testing ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

School Students ◽

Validity Testing ◽

First Year University

Well-being is an indicator of students’ happiness in school. There is currently a need to identify students’ well-being in order to know the conditions of students’ mental health and their levels of contentment in school. The existing instruments of student well-being in Indonesia have numerous items, which can impact the participants’ behavior in filling out the questionnaires. Therefore, there was a need for a shorter version of the instruments. This research focused on the adaption of the Brief Adolescent Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS), an instrument for subjective well-being with only eight items and was previously developed by Tian, Wang, and Huebner (2015) among high school students in China. A total of 235 Indonesian students, both high school and first-year university students were the participants in this study. Reliability testing using internal consistency, while construct and criterion validity testing was implemented to test this scale's psychometric properties in the Indonesian context. The result of this study indicated that the adaptation of Brief Adolescent Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS) was valid and reliable for Indonesian students. Kesejahteraan merupakan indikator kebahagiaan siswa di sekolah. Saat ini, terdapat kebutuhan mengidentifikasi kesejahteraan siswa untuk mengetahui kondisi kesehatan mental dan tingkat kepuasan mereka di sekolah. Alat ukur kesejahteraan siswa yang ada di Indonesia memiliki banyak butir pertanyaan, yang dapat berdampak pada perilaku partisipan dalam mengisi kuesioner. Karenanya, dibutuhkan versi pendek dari alat ukur tersebut. Penelitian ini berfokus pada adaptasi Brief Adolescent Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS), sebuah alat ukur kesejahteraan subjektif dengan delapan butir yang dikembangkan oleh Tian, Wang, dan Huebner (2015) untuk siswa sekolah menengah atas di Tiongkok. Sebanyak 235 siswa Indonesia, yang merupakan siswa sekolah menengah atas dan mahasiswa tahun pertama, menjadi partisipan dalam penelitian ini. Uji reliabilitas dilakukan menggunakan konsistensi internal, sedangkan uji validitas konstruk dan validitas kriteria digunakan untuk menguji aspek psikometri dalam konteks Indonesia. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hasil adaptasi dari Brief Adolescent Subjective Well-Being in School Scale (BASWBSS) valid dan reliabel untuk siswa di Indonesia.

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Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of common mental disorders among first-year university students in post-apartheid South Africa: implications for a public mental health approach to student wellness

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-019-7218-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jason Bantjes ◽

Christine Lochner ◽

Wylene Saal ◽

Janine Roos ◽

Lian Taljaard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

South Africa ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

University Students ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Public Mental Health ◽

First Year ◽

Student Wellness ◽

Sociodemographic Correlates ◽

First Year University

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Experiences and attitudes towards mental health problems in first year German university students

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh-2021-0026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Maria Koschig ◽

Ines Conrad ◽

Steffi G. Riedel-Heller

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Focus Group ◽

University Students ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

First Year ◽

Health Issues ◽

University System ◽

Category System ◽

First Year University

Abstract Objectives The study should show how familiar German first year university students are with mental health issues and what their attitudes are regarding mental illness. Methods The study sample consisted of 293 first year German university students (20.37 years ± 1.88), most of them women (82.9%). The majority (77.6%) was studying a social type subject. An additive focus group consisted of four experts. The participants of the quantitative part were recruited at prevention workshops that were offered during the induction week at the beginning of the semester at 15 German universities. Experts of the focus group were recruited by telephone call. In addition to quantitative analysis, we realized a focus group with experts of our target group concerns and university system. For statistical analysis, we used statistic software programme “SPSS” 24 to conduct t-tests. We used content-analytical evaluation to build a category system. Results Every fourth participant reported having had a mental health problem. Male participants had a slightly greater desire for social distance (p=0.008; df=288) and slightly stronger stereotypes (p<0.001; df=289). Conclusions The present study shows that first year university students in Germany have substantial experience with mental health problems.

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NEIGHBORHOODS AND MENTAL HEALTH TRAJECTORIES OF LOW-INCOME MOTHERS

Journal of Community Psychology ◽

10.1002/jcop.21634 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 42 (5) ◽

pp. 519-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Daniel Brisson ◽

Amy Lopez ◽

Jamie Yoder

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Low Income ◽

Health Trajectories ◽

Low Income Mothers

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Creative Composition Problem: A Knowledge Graph Logical-Based AI Construction and Optimization Solution

Lecture Notes in Computer Science - Graph Structures for Knowledge Representation and Reasoning ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-72308-8_4 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 42-71

Author(s):

Mauricio Javier Osorio Galindo ◽

Luis Angel Montiel Moreno

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Artificial Intelligence ◽

Optimal Solution ◽

Well Being ◽

Knowledge Graph ◽

First Year ◽

Construction Of Knowledge ◽

Composition Problem ◽

Questions And Answers ◽

First Year University

AbstractContribution of this work is to Define the Creative Composition Problem (CCP) for Human Well-being Optimization by Construction of Knowledge Graph using Knowledge Representation and logic-based Artificial Intelligence reasoning-planning where the computation of the Optimal Solution is achieved by Dynamic Programming or Logic Programming. The Creative Composition Problem is embedded within Cecilia: an architecture of a digital companion artificial intelligence agent system composer of dialogue scripts for Well-being and Mental Health. Where Cecilia Framework is instantiated in Well-being and Mental Health domain for optimal well-being development of first year university students. We define the ‘The Problem of Creating a Dialogue Composition (PCDC)’ and we propose a feasible and optimal solution of it. CCP is instantiated in this applied domain to solve PCDC optimizing the Mental Health and Well-being of the student. CCP as PCDC is applied to optimize maximizing the mental health of the student but also maximizing the smoothness, coherence, enjoyment and engagement each time the dialogue session is composed. Cecilia helps students to manage stress/anxiety to attempt the prevention of depression. Students can interact through the digital companion making questions and answers. While the system “learns” from the user it allows the user to learn from herself. Once the student discovers elements that were unnoticed by her, she will find a better way to improve when discovering her points of improvement.

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