Sampling investigation and statistical analysis for mental problems of freshmen in Shandong Province

niversity stage, especially the freshmen stage, is a high incidence stage of students’ psychological problems. Effective sampling investigation and statistical analysis of freshmen’s mental health problems are conducive to solve freshmen’s problems and prevent further crises. In the past 4 years (2018–2021), using Chinese college students’ mental health screening scale, we have taken probability proportionate to size sampling investigations about the mental problems to 9882 freshmen in 45 public universities in Shandong Province near the end of their first semester. Based on these data, we conducted the comparison of anxiety and depression for post pandemic era vs. pre pandemic era by analysis of variance, and analysed the influencing factors for anxiety and depression by linear regression and canonical correlation analysis. The results indicate the extents of anxiety and depression in post pandemic era are significantly more severe than pre pandemic era. Inferiority complex, obsession and somatization are the main effect factors of anxiety and depression. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first systematical investigation and analysis for the mental problems among freshmen in the whole Shandong Province before and after the epidemic. The research results are conducive for the mental health counseling and intervention of freshmen’s mental problems, and also helpful for policy making and prevention for psychological crisis management.