AUTHOR=Fu Wenning , Han Xiaotong , Liu Yifang , Zou Li , Wen Jing , Yan Shijiao , Lv Chuanzhu 

TITLE=Prevalence and Related Factors of Anxiety Among University Teachers 1 Year After the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak in China: A Multicenter Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.823480

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.823480

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objectives</title><p>This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety among university teachers 1 year after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and provide empirical evidence of psychological intervention.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A multicenter study was conducted to examine the prevalence of anxiety among 10,302 teachers in 21 Chinese universities from February 12 to April 23, 2021. The generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7) was used to assess symptoms of anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between potential influence and anxiety symptoms.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The overall prevalence of anxiety was 40.0% 1 year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was found to be higher in women than in men (41.32% vs. 38.22%; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.0001). The multivariate logistic regression showed that being the female (<italic>OR</italic> = 1.207; <italic>95%CI</italic>: 1.103–1.318), age ≥60 years (<italic>OR</italic> = 2.004; <italic>95%CI</italic>: 1.128–3.560), being married (<italic>OR</italic> = 1.319; <italic>95%CI</italic>: 1.150–1.513), and poor family economic status (<italic>OR</italic> = 1.580; <italic>95%CI</italic>: 1.321–1.891) were significantly associated with anxiety. Participants with moderate, slight, or no impact of COVID-19 on life (<italic>OR</italic> for moderate, 0.557; <italic>95%CI</italic>, 0.508–0.611; <italic>OR</italic> for slight/no, 0.377; <italic>95%CI</italic>, 0.323–0.439) showed a reduced risk of anxiety compared to those who reported a significant effect.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>Symptoms of anxiety were found in about two-fifths of Chinese university teachers 1 year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest that the government should improve the dynamic tracking of mental health and adopt long-term intervention strategies.</p></sec>