Factors associated with depression during lockdown in college students who sought psychological consultation

Purpose This paper aims to identify the risk factors that affect depression in students who sought psychological consultation during lockdown period in the health department at a university in Colombia. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 33 students (12 men and 21 women) with a mean age of 21 +/- 2.5 years during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Convenience sampling was used. The beck depression inventory-II instrument and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used to determine levels of depression and associated risk factors. A Google Form was designed with the respective instruments and sent along with the informed consent by email. Findings The results indicated that the population is characterized by presenting a level of mild (24.2%), moderate (15.2%) and severe (21.2%) depression. Concerning the levels of depression and risk factors, a significant difference was found with a history of violence (p-value = 0.000), mainly during childhood and adolescence, as well as objection to psychological therapy, belonging to a medium-high socioeconomic stratum, lack of family support and recent significant losses coupled with the lockdown because of the pandemic, which increased symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted using Google Forms, which meant that some questionnaires were incomplete. In addition, this study did not count with the full participation of patients who attended psychological consultation. Practical implications Universities should generate programs for early detection of risk factors and prevention of depression in students, which could affect academic performance, school dropout, interpersonal relationships and trigger suicidal ideation. These results can also be applied to reducing family violence, which has increased since the pandemic, by improving students' family dynamics. Originality/value Because of the scarce research on this topic in Latin America, this study contributes to mental health in this population. The university becomes a fundamental scenario in which the ability to help students develop an adequate expression of emotions, positive coping strategies and sense of life as protective factors against depression can be enhanced.

Relationship between Online Incentive Teaching and Engagement among Chinese University Students against the COVID-19 Pandemic Background

This study reports the results of a questionnaire survey on online incentive teaching and engagement among Chinese university students during the COVID-19. It aims to understand the students' perceived online incentive teaching of their teachers in terms of Learning Resources, Interaction and Praise, Feedback and Evaluation, and Emotional Caring, and their online learning engagement in terms of participation, persistence and interaction, as well as the relationship between the two constructs. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire upon 150 undergraduate students at a university in China. Analysis of the collected data reveals that the participants perceived their teachers' incentive online teaching to be effective, particularly in emotional caring. The participants displayed a high level of engagement, interaction and persistence in particular, though moderately satisfactory in participation. The results also show that the perceived incentive teaching was positively correlated with learner engagement in the overall and dimensional levels. The results are implicative for providing effective support to students in online learning during the difficult time in China and beyond. © 2021 ACM.

Investigating Online Learning Experience of Chinese University Students during the COVID-19

This study reports the results of an investigation into online learning experiences among a group of Chinese university students during the COVID-19. Specifically, it aims to understand the students' perceived online learning experiences, teacher caring behavior, and resilience. Dates were collected by a questionnaire upon 189 undergraduate students from a local university in China. Analysis of the collected data reveals that the participants were satisfied at their online learning experiences, displaying a strong resilience, and receiving adequate support from their teachers, though a small part of them still thought that their teachers could have done better. The results are implicative for improving better online learning and support the students during the hard time in China and other similar contexts. © 2021 ACM.