Prevalence and its associated factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health crisis around the world. The psychological health of college students also faces great challenges. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and the related factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students. METHODS: This online cross-sectional survey was conducted via Wenjuanxing platform from March 3–15, 2020 and received 1681 effective questionnaires. Each questionnaire contains the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Herth Hope Index, and the self-designed items. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine the significantly associated factors of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students was 56.8%. Sleep problems (OR 2.678, 95%CI 2.094–3.424), family members’ going out (OR 1.775, 95%CI 1.089–2.894), perceived more stress for online education (OR 1.642, 95%CI 1.191–2.263), fear of COVID-19 (OR 1.450, 95%CI 1.121–1.876), influence on social interaction (OR 1.354, 95%CI 1.053–1.741) and higher grade (OR 1.378, 95%CI 1.046–1.816) were considered as risk factors of depressive symptoms. Perceived social support (OR 0.354, 95%CI 0.259–0.484), hope (OR 0.052, 95%CI 0.034–0.080), female (OR:0.557, 95%CI 0.427–0.725) and higher monthly disposable income (OR 0.666, 95%CI 0.447–0.993) were identified as protective factors against depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to find ways to alleviate the pressure and fear of college students, to provide them with more social support, and to help them adapt to the changes in learning style and lifestyle. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-021-03066-9.