The positive effects of positive coping on mental health in college students during the COVID-19 campus lockdown

• Published in: Frontiers in public health Vol. 11; p. 1267347
• Main Authors: Li, Meiqi, Chen, Lijun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 2023
• Subjects: campus lockdown; coping style; COVID-19; crisis; mental health; COVID-19; campus lockdown; crisis; mental health; coping style
• ISSN: 2296-2565; 2296-2565
• DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1267347

Isolation has been an effective method to control the spread of COVID-19 over the past 3 years. However, lifestyle changes may have a negative impact on mental health. To examine the effects of positive coping on mental health in college students during the COVID-19 campus lockdown, this study conducted an online cross-sectional survey. In October 2022, following a prolonged campus lockdown of nearly 3 years, 313 university students from a university in Shandong Province, China, were invited to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised a self-administered general situation questionnaire, the Simple Coping Style Scale, and the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale. (1) The analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of coping Style on depression [F(4,300) = 2.446, = 0.047] during the COVID-19 campus lockdown. A test indicated that college students who engaged in study ( = 0.012) or sports ( = 0.027) during their free time had significantly lower depression scores than those who used the Internet. (2) Independent sample t-tests showed significant differences in positive and negative coping styles among college students in terms of depression ( = 6.891, < 0.001) and anxiety scores ( = 7.745, < 0.001). (3) Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between positive coping style and anxiety ( = -0.378, < 0.001), and between positive coping style and depression ( = 0.427, < 0.001). Positive correlations were also found between the negative coping style and anxiety ( = 0.155, = 0.007), and between the negative coping style and depression ( = 0.190, < 0.001). The study suggested that fostering positive coping in students can mitigate mental health issues during crises, providing a blueprint for university mental health initiatives during epidemics.