The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 on Students.

Exploring the Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 on Higher Education Students

The COVID-19 outbreak has been rapidly transmitted in late January 2020 and aroused enormous attention globally. The public at large may also experience boredom, disappointment, and irritability under the isolation measures. Depression and anxiety are common mental health problems experienced by university students. This survey aims to investigate the psychological impact of COVID 19 on students.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Mental Health Wellness 1

Detailed Description

The COVID-19 outbreak has been rapidly transmitted in late January 2020 and aroused enormous attention globally. Infected patients may develop severe and even fatal respiratory diseases (e.g., acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute respiratory failure) ending up in intensive care. Apart from physical suffering, it is not uncommon for confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 to suffer from great psychological pressure and other health-related problems. The limited knowledge of the COVID-19 and the overwhelming news may lead to anxiety and fear in the public. The public at large may also experience boredom, disappointment, and irritability under the isolation measures.

Depression and anxiety are common mental health problems experienced by university students. Being in higher education is associated with many stressors and transitional events, and students fall within the age range when common mental health problems are at their developmental peak. Depression and anxiety can impair students' academic performance and social functioning, cause significant burden at university, and potentially affect their future career opportunities. The study includes 2 parts. Part A is an online survey study with non-probabilistic convenience sampling and part B is focus group interviews.

This study aims to explore the psychological impact of COVID-19 and coping methods in higher education students.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 300

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: LAI YK Agnes, PhD; Phone Number: +85239176779238; Email: agneslai@hku.hk
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Kelvin MP Wang, PhD; Phone Number: +85239176636; Email: mpwang@hku.hk

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852
    • Recruiting
    • LAI Agnes
    • Contact: LAI Agnes, PhD; Phone Number: 39173628; Email: agneslai@hku.hk
    • Contact: Kelvin Wang, PhD; Phone Number: 3917; Email: mpwang@hku.hk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Part A: An online survey study with non-probabilistic convenience sampling n=384

Part B: Focus group interviews n=32

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Higher education students aged 18 years and above

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects refuse to answer this questionnaire

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Stress level	measured by Stress Scale	baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anxiety and depressive symptoms	measured by a 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire	baseline
Insomnia symptoms and the associated daytime impairment	measured by 7-item Insomnia Severity Index	baseline
Psychological response to trauma	measured by a 22-item Impact of Event Scale -Revised	baseline
Resilience	measured by a 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale	baseline
Attitude and practice students regarding preventive measures	measured by outcome-based questionnaire	baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Agnes YK Lai, PhD, School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bao Y, Sun Y, Meng S, Shi J, Lu L. 2019-nCoV epidemic: address mental health care to empower society. Lancet. 2020 Feb 22;395(10224):e37-e38. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30309-3. Epub 2020 Feb 7. No abstract available.
• Hysenbegasi A, Hass SL, Rowland CR. The impact of depression on the academic productivity of university students. J Ment Health Policy Econ. 2005 Sep;8(3):145-51.
• Lai AY, Sit SM, Lam SK, Choi AC, Yiu DY, Lai TT, Ip MS, Lam TH. A Phenomenological Study on the Positive and Negative Experiences of Chinese International University Students From Hong Kong Studying in the U.K. and U.S. in the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Psychiatry. 2021 Dec 13;12:738474. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.738474. eCollection 2021.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 28, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 25, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 25, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): April 28, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 10, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 27, 2021
• Last Verified: November 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Stress; Psychological impact; Higher education students
• Other Study ID Numbers: UW20-298

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: It was not included in the participants' consent.

Drug and device information, study documents

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