A rapid assessment of depressive and anxious symptoms among university students during the COVID-19 public health emergency: A repeated cross-sectional analysis

ObjectivesTo identify potential associations between student characteristics and mental health symptoms during the early parts of the pandemic.Participants3,883 students at a large public university on the West Coast of the United States.MethodsWe conducted a repeated cross-sectional survey to assess health-protective behaviors, mental health, social support, and stigma resistance. The survey was administered in April 2020 and again in November/December 2020. Odds of mental health symptoms were estimated using multinomial logistic regression.Results39% of respondents reported anxious symptoms, 9% reported depressive symptoms, and 27% reported both anxious and depressive symptoms. AAPI had lower odds of reporting both anxious/depressive symptoms compared to whites (OR = 0.59; 95% CI:0.43-0.81).ConclusionStudents reported elevated levels of psychological stress during the pandemic, yet our results may underestimate the actual odds due to stress brought on by COVID-19.