Association of gastrointestinal symptoms and skipping breakfast with anxiety and depressive symptoms in quarantined Chinese college students during the Shanghai 2022 lockdown: a cross sectional survey

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among quarantined college students at school in Shanghai 2022 lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate the association of gastrointestinal discomfort related-factors and skipping breakfast with anxiety and depressive symptoms. METHODS: 384 quarantined college students in Shanghai China were recruited in this cross-sectional study from April 5th to May 29th, 2022. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to assess anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 56.8% and 62.8%, respectively. Longer quarantine duration, higher education level, skipping breakfast, stomachache or abdominal pain, and nausea or dyspepsia were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Moreover, longer quarantine duration, being woman, skipping breakfast, stomachache or abdominal pain, and nausea or dyspepsia were markedly related to depressive symptoms. Notably, regularly physical exercising and taking positive attitude towards COVID-19 were negatively correlated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: More attention should be paid to anxiety and depressive symptoms of quarantined college students and universities should provide timely psychological monitoring and intervention services to mitigate the impact of negative emotions on students. Effectively relieving gastrointestinal symptoms, insisting on eat breakfast, regularly exercising, and taking a positive attitude towards to COVID-19 might contribute to preventing the anxiety and depressive symptoms for those college students experiencing a long-term quarantine.