A longitudinal study on generalized anxiety among university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland

Amendola, Simone; von Wyl, Agnes; Volken, Thomas; Zysset, Annina; Huber, Marion; Dratva, Julia

doi:10.3389/978-2-88974-282-0

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-24205

Publication type:	Book part
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	A longitudinal study on generalized anxiety among university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland
Authors:	Amendola, Simone von Wyl, Agnes Volken, Thomas Zysset, Annina Huber, Marion Dratva, Julia
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.3389/978-2-88974-282-0 10.21256/zhaw-24205
Published in:	Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs
Editors of the parent work:	Commodari, Elena Coniglio, Maria Anna Conti, Daniela La Rosa, Valentina Lucia
Page(s):	15
Pages to:	24
Issue Date:	3-Feb-2022
Series:	Frontiers Research Topics
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Frontiers Media
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Lausanne
ISBN:	978-2-88974-282-0
Language:	English
Subjects:	Anxiety; Longitudinal; Lockdown; Coronavirus; COVID-19 pandemic; Linear mixed model
Subject (DDC):	158: Applied psychology 305: Groups (age, origine, gender, income)
Abstract:	Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic and government measures implemented to counter the spread of the infection may be a major stressor affecting the psychological health of university students. This study aimed to explore how anxiety symptoms changed during the pandemic. Methods: 676 students (76% females) at Zurich University of Applied Sciences participated in the first (T0) and second (T1) survey waves. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-Scale-7 (GAD-7). Risk and protective factors (e.g., COVID-19-related variables) were examined. Results: GAD-7 scores decreased significantly from T0 to T1 (mean change: -0.446,SE = 0.132, 95% CI: -0.706,-0.186, t =-3.371, df = 659, p = 0.001). Participants with moderate-to-severe anxiety score were 20.2 and 15.6% at T0 and T1, respectively. The following positively predicted anxiety: older age, female gender, non-Swiss nationality, loneliness, participants’ concern about their own health, and interaction between time and participants’ concern about their own health. Resilience and social support negatively predicted anxiety. Conclusions: Our findings provide information for public health measures and psychological interventions supporting the mental health of university students during the COVID-19 emergency.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/24205
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	Applied Psychology School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Public Health (IPH) Psychological Institute (PI)
Published as part of the ZHAW project:	Gesundheit von Studierenden in Zeiten der Corona-Pandemie
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Amendola, S., von Wyl, A., Volken, T., Zysset, A., Huber, M., & Dratva, J. (2022). A longitudinal study on generalized anxiety among university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. In E. Commodari, M. A. Coniglio, D. Conti, & V. L. La Rosa (Eds.), Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs (pp. 15–24). Frontiers Media. https://doi.org/10.3389/978-2-88974-282-0

Amendola, S. et al. (2022) ‘A longitudinal study on generalized anxiety among university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland’, in E. Commodari et al. (eds) Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs. Lausanne: Frontiers Media, pp. 15–24. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/978-2-88974-282-0.

S. Amendola, A. von Wyl, T. Volken, A. Zysset, M. Huber, and J. Dratva, “A longitudinal study on generalized anxiety among university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland,” in Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs, E. Commodari, M. A. Coniglio, D. Conti, and V. L. La Rosa, Eds. Lausanne: Frontiers Media, 2022, pp. 15–24. doi: 10.3389/978-2-88974-282-0.

AMENDOLA, Simone, Agnes VON WYL, Thomas VOLKEN, Annina ZYSSET, Marion HUBER und Julia DRATVA, 2022. A longitudinal study on generalized anxiety among university students during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. In: Elena COMMODARI, Maria Anna CONIGLIO, Daniela CONTI und Valentina Lucia LA ROSA (Hrsg.), Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs. Lausanne: Frontiers Media. S. 15–24. ISBN 978-2-88974-282-0

Amendola, Simone, Agnes von Wyl, Thomas Volken, Annina Zysset, Marion Huber, and Julia Dratva. 2022. “A Longitudinal Study on Generalized Anxiety among University Students during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Switzerland.” In Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs, edited by Elena Commodari, Maria Anna Coniglio, Daniela Conti, and Valentina Lucia La Rosa, 15–24. Lausanne: Frontiers Media. https://doi.org/10.3389/978-2-88974-282-0.

Amendola, Simone, et al. “A Longitudinal Study on Generalized Anxiety among University Students during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Switzerland.” Closure and Reopening of Schools and Universities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and Control Measures, Support Strategies for Vulnerable Students and Psychosocial Needs, edited by Elena Commodari et al., Frontiers Media, 2022, pp. 15–24, https://doi.org/10.3389/978-2-88974-282-0.