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As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on into its eighth month in the United States, and many people still maintain self-isolation from the first few months, the cost of mental health has become a growing topic of discussion. A study of French university students in JAMA network open provides information on students’ mental health status and factors that are related to the development of mental health symptoms.one
The researchers asked all French universities to email their students to complete an online questionnaire. Each participant was asked about a variety of mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts, stress, anxiety, and depression. They were evaluated with the Revised 22-item Impact of Events Scale, the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, the 20-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (state subscale), and the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory. Care seeking data was also collected.
Out of a target population of 1,600,000 students, 69,054 students completed the survey. The majority of respondents were women (50,251 [72.8%]) and many were freshmen (32,424 [47.0%]). Students reported a prevalence of suicidal thoughts 11.4% (7891 students), severe distress (22.4% (15,463 students), high level of perceived stress 24.7% (17,093 students), severe depression 16.1% (11,133 students) and high level of anxiety 27.5% (18,970 students). Among the 29,564 students who reported at least 1 mental health outcome, 3,675 of them said they had seen a health professional. Reporting at least 1 mental health outcome was associated with various factors, including:
- female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.10; 95% CI, 2.02-2.19; P<0.001)
- non-binary gender (OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 2.99-4.27; P<0.001)
- precariousness (loss of income: OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.22-1.33; P<.001; low quality housing: OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 2.06-2.57; P<0.001), history of psychiatric follow-up (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 3.09-3.48; P<0.001)
- symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.49-1.61; P<0.001)
- social isolation (weak sense of integration: OR, 3.63; 95% CI, 3.35-3.92; P<.001; low quality of social relationships: OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 2.49-2.75; P<.001), and
- low quality of the information received (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.49-1.64; P<0.001)
The researchers concluded that college students reported a high rate of mental distress during the COVID-19 quarantine, with certain populations potentially at higher risk. They believe their results highlight the need to maintain contact with students, ensuring that they are in a safe place. In addition, the promotion of access to care should be encouraged.
References
1. Wathelet M, Duhem S, Vaiva G, et al. Factors associated with mental health disorders among university students in France confined during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3 (10): e2025591. doi: 10.1001 / jamanetworkopen.2020.25591.
