Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38293595›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2023

Students' mental health during the pandemic: results of the observational cross-sectional COVID-19 MEntal health inTernational for university Students (COMET-S) study.

Konstantinos N Fountoulakis, Nor Aziah Alias, Sarah Bjedov, Nikolaos K Fountoulakis, Xenia Gonda, Jan Hilbig, Miro Jakovljević, Barbara Kulig, Girija Mahale, Alexandros Manafis and 20 more

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Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

30 authors.

Konstantinos N Fountoulakis3rd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Greece, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Nor Aziah AliasAcademic Affairs Division, Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.
Sarah BjedovDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Nikolaos K FountoulakisFaculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Xenia GondaDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Jan HilbigClinic of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Miro JakovljevićSchool of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Barbara KuligDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Girija MahaleSymbiosis Centre for Emotional Wellbeing, Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, Pune, India.
Alexandros ManafisFaculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Muftau MohammedDepartment of Mental Health, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.
Ilia NadareishviliDavid Tvildiani Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Alvydas NavickasClinic of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Mikaella E PatsaliSchool of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece.
Alexey PavlichenkoEducation Center, Mental-Health Clinic No. 1 n.a. N.A. Alexeev of Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow, Russia.
Sindija Mairita PilagaFaculty of Medicine, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.
Salmi RazaliDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia.
Dmitry RomanovDepartment of Psychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia.
Iakimova RossitzaSecond Psychiatric Clinic, University Hospital for Active Treatment in Neurology and Psychiatry "Saint Naum", Sofia, Bulgaria.
Auwal Sani SalihuDepartment of Psychiatry, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria.
Ana SinauridzeGeorgian Medical Students' Association, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Maria StoyanovaSecond Psychiatric Clinic, University Hospital for Active Treatment in Neurology and Psychiatry "Saint Naum", Sofia, Bulgaria.
Ketaki ThosarSymbiosis Centre for Emotional Wellbeing, Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, Pune, India.
Julija VorobjovaFaculty of Medicine, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.
Jelena VrublevskaDepartment of Psychiatry and Narcology, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.
Elmars RancansDepartment of Psychiatry and Narcology, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.
Afzal JavedInstitute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Pavlos N TheodorakisHealth Policy, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Joao BredaWHO Athens Quality of Care Office, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Daria SmirnovaInternational Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia.

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the study was to search rates of depression and mental health in university students, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study. A protocol gathering sociodemographic variables as well as depression, anxiety and suicidality and conspiracism was assembled, and data were collected anonymously and online from April 2020 through March 2021. The sample included 12,488 subjects from 11 countries, of whom 9,026 were females (72.2%; aged 21.11 ± 2.53), 3,329 males (26.65%; aged 21.61 ± 2.81) and 133 "non-binary gender" (1.06%; aged 21.02 ± 2.98). The analysis included chi-square tests, correlation analysis, ANCOVA, multiple forward stepwise linear regression analysis and Relative Risk ratios. Results: Dysphoria was present in 15.66% and probable depression in 25.81% of the total study sample. More than half reported increase in anxiety and depression and 6.34% in suicidality, while lifestyle changes were significant. The model developed explained 18.4% of the development of depression. Believing in conspiracy theories manifested a complex effect. Close to 25% was believing that the vaccines include a chip and almost 40% suggested that facemask wearing could be a method of socio-political control. Conspiracism was related to current depression but not to history of mental disorders. Discussion: The current study reports that students are at high risk for depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified specific risk factors. It also suggested a role of believing in conspiracy theories. Further research is important, as it is targeted intervention in students' groups that are vulnerable both concerning mental health and conspiracism.

Indexed as

conspiracy theoriesCOVID-19depressionmental healthsuicidalityuniversity students

Identifiers

PMID38293595
PMCPMC10825874

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.