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Pandemic and student mental health : mental health symptoms among university students and young adults after the first cycle of lockdown in the UK
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Tang, Nicole K. Y., McEnery, Katharine A. M., Chandler, Laura, Toro, Carla T., Walasek, Lukasz, Friend, Hannah, Gu, Sai, Singh, Swaran P. and Meyer, Caroline (2022) Pandemic and student mental health : mental health symptoms among university students and young adults after the first cycle of lockdown in the UK. BJPsych Open, 8 (4). e138. doi:10.1192/bjo.2022.523 ISSN 2056-4724.
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WRAP-Pandemic-student-mental-health-symptoms-university-young-adults-first-cycle-22.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (585Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.523
Abstract
Background
Early COVID-19 research suggests a detrimental impact of the initial lockdown on young people's mental health.
Aims
We investigated mental health among university students and young adults after the first UK lockdown and changes in symptoms over 6 months.
Method
In total, 895 university students and 547 young adults not in higher education completed an online survey at T1 (July–September 2020). A subset of 201 university students also completed a 6 month follow-up survey at T2 (January–March 2021). Anxiety, depression, insomnia, substance misuse and suicide risk were assessed.
Results
At T1, approximately 40%, 25% and 33% of the participants reported moderate to severe anxiety and depression and substance misuse risk, clinically significant insomnia and suicidal risk. In participants reassessed at T2, reductions were observed in anxiety and depression but not in insomnia, substance misuse or suicidality. Student and non-student participants reported similar levels of mental health symptoms. Student status was not a significant marker of mental health symptoms, except for lower substance misuse risk. Cross-sectionally, greater symptoms across measures were consistently associated with younger age, pre-existing mental health conditions, being a carer, worse financial status, increased sleep irregularity and difficulty since lockdown. Longitudinally, T2 symptoms were consistently associated with worse financial status and increased difficulty sleeping at T1. However, these associations were attenuated when baseline mental health symptoms were adjusted for in the models.
Conclusions
Mental health symptoms were prevalent in a large proportion of young people after the first UK lockdown. Risk factors identified may help characterise high-risk groups for enhanced support and inform interventions.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | |||||||||
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| Subjects: | L Education > LB Theory and practice of education R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Engineering > Engineering Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology Administration > University Executive Office Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Engineering > WMG (Formerly the Warwick Manufacturing Group) |
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| SWORD Depositor: | Library Publications Router | |||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Students -- Mental health, COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- -- Great Britain | |||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | BJPsych Open | |||||||||
| Publisher: | Royal College of Psychiatrists | |||||||||
| ISSN: | 2056-4724 | |||||||||
| Official Date: | 26 July 2022 | |||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 8 | |||||||||
| Number: | 4 | |||||||||
| Article Number: | e138 | |||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1192/bjo.2022.523 | |||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | |||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | |||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | |||||||||
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists | |||||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 19 August 2022 | |||||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 19 August 2022 | |||||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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