Around a quarter of students are affected by depression
Around a quarter of students are affected by depressive symptoms during the pandemic. This is the conclusion of a ZHAW study of the university on the effects during the pandemic.
The Corona pandemic is also having an impact on students. The restrictions have a detrimental effect on mental health. As part of the ongoing study "Health in Students during the Corona pandemic (HES-C)", researchers from the ZHAW Departments of Health and Applied Psychology surveyed the prevalence of depressive symptoms among a total of 3571 ZHAW students in spring and fall 2020. That the values have increased is shown by a comparison of the sample from the last nationwide federal surveys (2017). At that time, about 10.9 percent of women and 8.5 percent of men in a similar age range reported depressive symptoms. Currently, 27.2 percent of participants exhibit such symptoms, the ZHAW writes in a statement.
Respondents were most concerned about health and the financial situation in the family. This was more pronounced than in the spring. Students were more likely to exhibit health behaviors such as binge drinking or lack of exercise at this time.
According to the ZHAW, the results could be applied to students throughout Switzerland. The researchers conclude that the pandemic represents an enormous psychological burden for many Swiss students.
Source: ZHAW
