ArticleSSM - population health2021
Depressive symptoms in higher education students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. An examination of the association with various social risk factors across multiple high- and middle-income countries.
Article in SSM - population health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Simulating COVID-19 lockdowns' impact on depressive symptoms in the northern Netherlands.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Mental health patterns and associated social determinants among university and college students in sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic era: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Moderated mediation model of subjective happiness and gender between financial strain and mental health of university students.Discover mental health · 2025Article
- Pandemic Performance Measures of Resilience for Healthcare and Education in the Netherlands.The International journal of health planning and management · 2025Article
- Sexual Activity and Mental Health in Higher Education Students in Antwerp, Belgium During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- Prevalence, age-of-onset, and course of mental disorders among 72,288 first-year university students from 18 countries in the World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) initiative.Journal of psychiatric research · 2025Article
- Article
- Depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students during the later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany - Results from the COVID 19 German Student Well-being Study (C19 GSWS).Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- University Students' Financial Situation During COVID-19 and Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms: Results of the COVID-19 German Student Well-Being Study (C19 GSWS).Psychology research and behavior management · 2024Article
- An international comparison of gender differences in mental health among higher-education students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a multilevel design.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2023Article
- Article
- Anxiety and depressive symptoms of German university students 20 months after the COVID-19 outbreak - A cross-sectional study.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Article
- Change in University Student Health Behaviours after the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Knowledge deficit and fear of COVID-19 among higher education students during the first wave of the pandemic and implications for public health: a multi-country cross-sectional survey.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Depressive symptoms in higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of containment measures.European journal of public health · 2022Article
- Fear of Infection and Depressive Symptoms among German University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- How do appraisal as threat or challenge, efficacy, and environmental quality affect wellbeing in the COVID-19 pandemic?Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- COVID-19 related disruption in higher education students' health and wellbeing: Implications for university action.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Multidisciplinary Student Groups Support Digital Education as a Public Health Precautional Action to Prevent Spread of COVID-19 Infection: A Mixed Methods Study.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 11 institutions in 10 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Higher-education students face substantial risks for developing depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic or experiencing exacerbated pre-existing depressive symptoms. This study uses data from the COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study, which collected data through a non-representative convenience sample in 125 higher-education institutions (HEI) across 26 high- and middle-income countries (N: 20,103) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes the prevalence of depressive symptoms in higher-education students. We find substantial cross-national variation in depressive symptoms, with lowest mean levels established in the Nordic countries and France, while highest mean levels of depressive symptoms were found in Turkey, South Africa, Spain and the USA. Elevated risk for depressive symptoms was found in female students, students with fewer social support resources and in a more disadvantaged socioeconomic position, and students with a migrant background. COVID-19 related stressors, such as reduced social contact, increased financial insecurity, and academic stress explained a relatively larger proportion of the variance in depressive symptoms compared to non-COVID-19 related stressors. This finding shows that not the pandemic itself, but rather the secondary effects of the pandemic relate to students' mental health. Our results enable HEIs to be better equipped to target groups that are particularly at risk during a pandemic.
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Registered trials
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