Mental Health and Its Correlates Among Chinese Adolescents Exposed to the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019

Mental Health and Its Correlates Among Chinese Adolescents Exposed to the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Longitudinal Study Protocol

Background: Direct exposure to public health emergencies is associated with increased mental disorders. It is less clear about the prevalence of common mental disorders and its correlates in Chinese adolescents after experiencing public health emergencies.

Objective: This longitudinal study aims to estimate the prevalence of common mental disorders (i.e. depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder) and its correlates in a sample of Chinese adolescents after experience a public health emergency, namely the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Method: This study intends to recruit 3,428 Chinese adolescent students from high and middle schools in the baseline survey. This study will track these recruited participants every 6 months via three-wave follow-up (i.e. 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month follow-ups). The demographics (e.g. age, gender, education, family background, and residence) and psychosocial factors (i.e. exposure to traumatic events, religious belief, social media exposure, loneliness, and perceived social support) associated with common mental disorders (i.e. depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder) will be investigated in this sample population. Furthermore, a hardcopy self-report questionnaire will be disturbed to all participants. Additionally, the cross-sectional analyses will be first conducted to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders and their correlates in data of baseline survey. After obtaining the longitudinal data, the relative risk, incident rate ratios, latent class analysis, and structural equation model may be performed in this study. Missing data will be solved by the multiple imputations. Data analysis tools included the Stata 16.0 and Mplus 8.4.

Discussion: This longitudinal study will better help to understand the prevalence changes of mental disorders among Chinese adolescents following the COVID-19. These findings have the potential to provide empirical evidence about the burden of mental disease and key drivers of Chinese adolescents following the COVID-19, which can benefit the formation of public policy and mental health intervention programming. This study will close the gaps that a lack of epidemiological studies about the mental disorder prevalence and related risk factors.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Mental Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 3428

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 10 years to 19 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The study will be conducted in Yibin City, Sichuan province, China. A total of six schools (two high schools and four middle schools) will be contacted for the data collection. According to the formula for the finite population for prevalence studies and the attrition rate of the cohort study, the total number of estimated sample size is 3,428, which will be recruited in the baseline study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. age range: 10-19;
2. full-time students in these targets high or middle schools;
3. nationality: China;
4. exposure context: COVID-19;
5. able to adequately understand the content of consent form and questionnaire;

(d) able to sufficiently state the purpose of the research and acknowledge the potential risks and benefits based on the questionnaire

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

4

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Baseline; This study intends to recruit 3,428 Chinese adolescent students exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 in the baseline survey	Other: Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019; Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019
6-month follow-up; This study will track the mental health status among these recruited 3,428 participants exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 in the 6 follow-up study.	Other: Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019; Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019
12-month follow-up; This study will track the mental health status among these recruited 3,428 participants exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 in the 12 follow-up study.	Other: Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019; Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019
18-month follow-up; This study will track the mental health status among these recruited 3,428 participants exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 in the 18 follow-up study.	Other: Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019; Exposed to the novel coronavirus disease 2019

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The prevalence and incidence changes of common mental disorders	The prevalence and incidence changes of common mental disorders (i.e. depression, anxiety, and PTSD) in a representative sample of Chinese adolescents	15 Oct 2020 - 15 Nov 2020

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mental disorders and its' correlates	To identify demographics (e.g. age, gender, education, family background, and residence) the major psychosocial factors (i.e. exposure to traumatic events, religious belief, social media exposure, loneliness, and perceived social support) contributing to prevalence and incidence of mental disorders	15 Oct 2020 - 15 Nov 2020

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Macau

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): October 15, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): November 15, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): March 15, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 4, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): March 9, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 9, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2020
• Last Verified: March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Lung Diseases; COVID-19; Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: SW888999

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No