AUTHOR=Li Meiqi , Chen Lijun 

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

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1267347

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1267347

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objectives</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>(1) The analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of coping Style on depression [F(4,300) = 2.446, <italic>p</italic> = 0.047] during the COVID-19 campus lockdown. A <italic>post-hoc</italic> test indicated that college students who engaged in study (<italic>p</italic> = 0.012) or sports (<italic>p</italic> = 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 (<italic>t</italic> = 6.891, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and anxiety scores (<italic>t</italic> = 7.745, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). (3) Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between positive coping style and anxiety (<italic>r</italic> = −0.378, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), and between positive coping style and depression (<italic>r</italic> = 0.427, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Positive correlations were also found between the negative coping style and anxiety (<italic>r</italic> = 0.155, <italic>p</italic> = 0.007), and between the negative coping style and depression (<italic>r</italic> = 0.190, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001).</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>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.</p></sec>