Anxiety levels among college students following the sudden transition of prevention and control strategies against COVID-19
- 1School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
- 2Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University
- 3Department of Nursing, Xi’an Central Hospital
Abstract
Background The mental health of college students is a constant concern. After China implemented an open strategy for addressing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2022, college campuses became among the main locations for the rapid spread of the epidemic, which resulted in a serious impact on the mental health of college students. Methods From December 2022 to January 2023, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the mental health status of college students in Southwest China in a timely manner and to analyze the influencing factors after the sudden change in prevention and control strategies against COVID-19. Results The Results revealed that the prevalences of anxiety and event-related psychological distress were 16.08% and 29.14%, respectively. Moderate and severe psychological impacts were reported by 29.1% of the participants. Moderate and moderate to severe psychological anxiety were reported by 10.6% and 3.8% of the participants, respectively. College students who were in poor health, such as those who were suffering from chronic diseases (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.249 ~ 0.705) and who had incomplete vaccinations (OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.381 ~ 4.362), were more likely to have anxiety. College students who were older (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.014 ~ 4.873), who received incomplete vaccinations (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.009 ~ 2.803), and who had low knowledge level of COVID-19 (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.028 ~ 2.072) were more likely to experience event-related psychological distress. Conclusion The prolonged COVID-19 epidemic and sudden alterations in prevention and control strategies caused a substantial negative influence on the mental health of college students in China. This study provides insights for the formulation of corresponding psychological intervention measures that could improve the mental health of college students following a sudden change in prevention and control strategies against far-reaching emerging infectious diseases.
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BibTeX
@article{hu2026anxiety,
title = {{Anxiety levels among college students following the sudden transition of prevention and control strategies against COVID-19}},
author = {Congxia Hu and Wenyi Jiang and Ya Yang and Xiu Yang and Zhaohui Tang and Limin Tian and Yong Xu},
journal = {Discover Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1186/s12982-026-03275-1},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-026-03275-1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Anxiety levels among college students following the sudden transition of prevention and control strategies against COVID-19
AU - Congxia Hu
AU - Wenyi Jiang
AU - Ya Yang
AU - Xiu Yang
AU - Zhaohui Tang
AU - Limin Tian
AU - Yong Xu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/08
JO - Discover Public Health
DO - 10.1186/s12982-026-03275-1
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-026-03275-1
AB - Background The mental health of college students is a constant concern. After China implemented an open strategy for addressing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2022, college campuses became among the main locations for the rapid spread of the epidemic, which resulted in a serious impact on the mental health of college students. Methods From December 2022 to January 2023, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the mental health status of college students in Southwest China in a timely manner and to analyze the influencing factors after the sudden change in prevention and control strategies against COVID-19. Results The Results revealed that the prevalences of anxiety and event-related psychological distress were 16.08% and 29.14%, respectively. Moderate and severe psychological impacts were reported by 29.1% of the participants. Moderate and moderate to severe psychological anxiety were reported by 10.6% and 3.8% of the participants, respectively. College students who were in poor health, such as those who were suffering from chronic diseases (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.249 ~ 0.705) and who had incomplete vaccinations (OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.381 ~ 4.362), were more likely to have anxiety. College students who were older (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.014 ~ 4.873), who received incomplete vaccinations (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.009 ~ 2.803), and who had low knowledge level of COVID-19 (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.028 ~ 2.072) were more likely to experience event-related psychological distress. Conclusion The prolonged COVID-19 epidemic and sudden alterations in prevention and control strategies caused a substantial negative influence on the mental health of college students in China. This study provides insights for the formulation of corresponding psychological intervention measures that could improve the mental health of college students following a sudden change in prevention and control strategies against far-reaching emerging infectious diseases.
SN - 3005-0774
ER -