An Unusual College Experience: 16-Month Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety among Chinese New Undergraduate Students of 2019 during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lili Liu, Jianbin Chen, Shunwei Liang, Xiaodan Peng, Wenwen Yang, Andi Huang, Xiayong Wang, Fang Fan and Jingbo Zhao ()
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Lili Liu: Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
Jianbin Chen: Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
Shunwei Liang: Mental Health Education and Counseling Center, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou 510260, China
Xiaodan Peng: Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
Wenwen Yang: Psychological Counseling Center, Department of Student Affairs, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650500, China
Andi Huang: Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
Xiayong Wang: Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
Fang Fan: Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China
Jingbo Zhao: Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Background: This study examines the trajectories of the mental health conditions of 13,494 new undergraduate students who enrolled in 2019 in China from the beginning of the pandemic to the local recurrence of the pandemic, and found factors which may be associated with diverse trajectories. Methods: The trajectories of depression–anxiety outcomes were modeled using the growth mixture model. The multinomial logistic regression model was used to identify variables associated with different trajectory groups. Results: Both depression and anxiety in the new college students slightly increased during the 16-month period. The slopes of depression and anxiety were lower after the local outbreak. From the trajectories of depression and anxiety, five heterogeneous groups were identified: low–stable (64.3%), moderate–increased (18.2%), high–stable (11.1%), recovery (4.5%), and rapid–increased (1.8%). Environmental, somatic, and social factors were used to differentiate the low–stable group from the other groups. We found that college students with female gender, more conflict with parents, and feelings of loneliness during the pandemic were more likely to enter a high stability trajectory compared to a recovery trajectory. Conclusion: Most participants showed a stable mental health status, while others experienced deteriorating or chronic mental health problems, especially those who had sleep disturbances, less social support before the pandemic, or conflicts with parents during the pandemic. These students may need additional support and monitoring from college mental health providers to improve their wellbeing.

Keywords: depression; anxiety; trajectories; new undergraduate students; latent growth mixture; Chinese students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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