Table 1 Factors associated with fear of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing depression among students (N = 2840)
Variables | Total n (%) | Fear of contracting COVID-19 | Experiencing depression | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No: n (%) | Yes: n (%) | p value | No: n (%) | Yes: n (%) | p value | |||
1535 (54.0) | 1305 (46.0) | 2241 (78.9) | 599 (21.1) | |||||
Age mean (SD) | 23.4 (SD 5.5) | 23.4 (SD 5.3) | 23.3 (SD 5.4) | 0.703 | 23.4 (SD 5.5) | 23.2(SD 5.0) | 0.492 | |
Gender | Woman | 2017 (71.0) | 1067 (69.5) | 950 (72.8) | 0.054 | 1579 (70.5) | 438 (73.1) | 0.202 |
Man | 823 (29.0) | 468 (30.5) | 355 (27.2) | 662 (29.5) | 161 (26.9) | |||
Country income level | LIC | 38 (1.3) | 25 (1.6) | 13 (1.0) | < 0.001 | 24 (1.1) | 14 (2.3) | < 0.001 |
LMIC | 1484 (52.3) | 733 (47.8) | 751 (57.5) | 1236 (55.2) | 248 (41.4) | |||
UMIC | 617 (21.7) | 369 (24.0) | 248 (19.0) | 460 (20.5) | 157 (26.2) | |||
HIC | 701 (24.7) | 408 (26.6) | 293 (22.5) | 521 (23.2) | 180 (30.1) | |||
Talk to friends or family on the phone | No | 1132 (39.9) | 638 (41.6) | 494 (37.9) | 0.044 | 914 (40.8) | 218 (36.4) | 0.051 |
Yes | 1708 (60.1) | 897 (58.4) | 811 (62.1) | 1327 (59.2) | 381 (63.6) | |||
Talk to friends or family through video chat | No | 1340 (22.3) | 740 (48.2) | 600 (46.0) | 0.235 | 1057 (47.2) | 283 (47.2) | 0.973 |
Yes | 1500 (52.8) | 795 (51.8) | 705 (54.0) | 1184 (52.8) | 316 (52.8) | |||
Talk to friends or family face to face, in person | No | 1792 (63.1) | 963 (62.7) | 829 (63.5) | 0.664 | 1449 (64.7) | 343 (57.3) | 0.001 |
Yes | 1048 (36.9) | 572 (37.3) | 476 (36.5) | 792 (35.3) | 256 (42.7) | |||
Spend time with pets | No | 2348 (82.7) | 1273 (82.9) | 1075 (82.4) | 0.696 | 1892 (84.4) | 456 (76.1) | < 0.001 |
Yes | 492 (17.3) | 262 (17.1) | 230 (17.6) | 349 (15.6) | 143 (23.9) | |||
Meditate or other mindfulness practices | No | 2349 (82.7) | 1289 (84.0) | 1060 (81.2) | 0.054 | 1868 (83.4) | 481 (80.3) | 0.079 |
Yes | 491 (17.3) | 246 (16.0) | 245 (18.8) | 373 (16.6) | 118 (19.7) | |||
Exercise in or around your home | No | 1780 (62.7) | 954 (62.1) | 826 (63.3) | 0.529 | 1414 (63.1) | 366 (61.1) | 0.370 |
Yes | 1060 (37.3) | 581 (37.9) | 479 (36.7) | 827 (36.9) | 233 (38.9) | |||
Exercise or spend leisure time outdoors like at a park or walking trail | No | 2153 (75.8) | 1172 (76.4) | 981 (75.2) | 0.465 | 1708 (76.2) | 445 (74.3) | 0.328 |
Yes | 687 (24.2) | 363 (23.6) | 324 (24.8) | 533 (23.8) | 154 (25.7) | |||
Do yardwork or gardening | No | 2540 (89.4) | 1375 (89.6) | 1165 (89.3) | 0.792 | 2010 (89.7) | 530 (88.5) | 0.392 |
Yes | 300 (10.6) | 160 (10.4) | 140 (10.7) | 231 (10.3) | 69 (11.5) | |||
Participate in creative activities or hobbies (writing, reading, art, crafts) | No | 1942 (68.4) | 1075 (70.0) | 867 (66.4) | 0.040 | 1534 (68.5) | 408 (68.1) | 0.874 |
Yes | 898 (31.6) | 460 (30.0) | 438 (33.6) | 707 (31.5) | 191 (31.9) | |||
Learn a new skill or engage in distant learning | No | 1879 (66.2) | 1100 (71.7) | 779 (59.7) | < 0.001 | 1451 (64.7) | 428 (71.5) | 0.002 |
Yes | 961 (33.8) | 435 (28.3) | 526 (40.3) | 790 (35.3) | 171 (28.5) | |||
Taking breaks from the news or social media | No | 2026 (71.3) | 1100 (71.7) | 926 (71.0) | 0.680 | 1627 (72.6) | 399 (66.6) | 0.004 |
Yes | 814 (28.7) | 435 (28.3) | 379 (29.0) | 614 (27.4) | 200 (33.4) | |||