Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland

This study investigates students' social networks and mental health before and at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, using longitudinal data collected since 2018. We analyze change on multiple dimensions of social networks (interaction, friendship, social support, co-studying) and...

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Veröffentlicht in:PloS one Jg. 15; H. 7; S. e0236337
Hauptverfasser: Elmer, Timon, Mepham, Kieran, Stadtfeld, Christoph
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: United States Public Library of Science 23.07.2020
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Schlagworte:
Anxiety
Betacoronavirus
Biology and Life Sciences
CAI
College students
Computer and Information Sciences
Computer assisted instruction
Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections - psychology
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Crises
Data collection
Depression
Distance learning
Emotional support
Engineering and Technology
Female
Friendship
Health indicators
Health status
Humanities
Humans
Loneliness
Male
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mental depression
Mental Health
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology
Pneumonia, Viral - psychology
Political science
Psychological aspects
Psychological distress
Psychological effects
Questionnaires
Research and Analysis Methods
SARS-CoV-2
Social distancing
Social integration
Social interactions
Social isolation
Social Isolation - psychology
Social life & customs
Social Networking
Social networks
Social organization
Social research
Social Sciences
Social support
Stress
Stress, Psychological
Students
Students - psychology
Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Switzerland - epidemiology
Teaching
Trajectory control
Undergraduate students
Undergraduate study
Universities
Switzerland
ISSN:1932-6203, 1932-6203
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Zusammenfassung:This study investigates students' social networks and mental health before and at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, using longitudinal data collected since 2018. We analyze change on multiple dimensions of social networks (interaction, friendship, social support, co-studying) and mental health indicators (depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness) within two cohorts of Swiss undergraduate students experiencing the crisis (N = 212), and make additional comparisons to an earlier cohort which did not experience the crisis (N = 54). In within-person comparisons we find that interaction and co-studying networks had become sparser, and more students were studying alone. Furthermore, students' levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depressive symptoms got worse, compared to measures before the crisis. Stressors shifted from fears of missing out on social life to worries about health, family, friends, and their future. Exploratory analyses suggest that COVID-19 specific worries, isolation in social networks, lack of interaction and emotional support, and physical isolation were associated with negative mental health trajectories. Female students appeared to have worse mental health trajectories when controlling for different levels of social integration and COVID-19 related stressors. As universities and researchers discuss future strategies on how to combine on-site teaching with online courses, our results indicate the importance of considering social contacts in students' mental health and offer starting points to identify and support students at higher risk of social isolation and negative psychological effects during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0236337