Effect of the COVID-19 on University Students’ Mental Health: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

In order to understand the effect of COVID-19 on the mental health status of college students, The Symptomatological Check List-90 (SCL-90) was used to conduct 2 psychological tests on 537 college students enrolled in a college at the 8th and 20th month after the naming of COVID-19. The results of the study showed that: 1) 1st psychological test: 98 students (18.25%) had abnormal total scores (GSI≥160) and 35 students (6.5%) had GSI ≥200; 119 students (22.16%) had abnormal number of positive items (≥43). 2nd test: 66 (12.29%) students with abnormal total score (GSI ≥160), 18 (3.35%) students with GSI ≥200; 77 (14.34%) students with abnormal number of positive items (≥43). (ii) The number of students with factor scores ≥2 on the 2nd test decreased from the 1st, with the factor with the largest decrease in scores being anxiety, with a decrease ratio of 48.53%. The order was psychoticism 45.71%, paranoia 41.03%, terror 37.10%, depression 35.44%, and compulsion 34.36%. (iii) Levene's test, independent samples t-test and comparison of means were performed on the scores of boys and girls on the 10 factors in the 1st test, and there was no statistically significant difference in all factor scores. (iv) Independent samples t-test was conducted on the 1st test for only children and non-only children, and there was a statistically significant difference in the 3 factors of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, and depressive symptoms, and the scores of non-only children were higher than those of only children.