Depression and loneliness did not affect academic achievement among university students

Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Loneliness and social isolation have negative consequences on physical and mental health in both adult and pediatric populations. Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) are often excluded and experience more loneliness than their typically developing peers. This scoping review aims to identify the type of studies conducted in children with NDD to determine the effects of loneliness and/or social isolation. Three electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO) were searched from inception until 5 February 2019. Two independent reviewers screened the citations for inclusion and extracted data from the included articles. Quantitative (i.e., frequency analysis) and qualitative analyses (i.e., content analysis) were completed. From our search, 5768 citations were screened, 29 were read in full, and 12 were included. Ten were case-control comparisons with cross-sectional assessment of various outcomes, which limited inference. Autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and learning disorder were the most commonly studied NDD. This review showed that loneliness among children with NDD was associated with negative consequences on mental health, behaviour, and psychosocial/emotional development, with a likely long-term impact in adulthood. Lack of research in this area suggests that loneliness is not yet considered a problem in children with NDD. More studies are warranted using prospective designs and a larger sample size with a focus on the dynamic aspect of loneliness development.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Depressive Symptoms in Chinese College Students

PURPOSE

Previous surveys have shown an increase in the prevalence of depression among college students. However, knowledge on the incidence and risk factors of depressive symptoms in Chinese college students is limited. The aim of the present study was to determine the two-year cumulative incidence of depressive symptoms in Chinese college freshmen and identified related psychosocial risk factors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A prospective survey was used to examine the cumulative incidence and risk factors of depressive symptoms (as assessed by the Centre for Epidemiological Study-Depression Scale, CES-D) among undergraduate freshmen. Five times (baseline, 5, 12, 17, and 24 months later) of self-reported data were collected from the students.

RESULTS

Of the initial 758 non-depressed respondents at baseline, 235 developed depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16) during the follow-up period. The two-year cumulative incidence was estimated to be 42% and not significantly different between males and females (χ2=3.138, df =1, p=0.077). Logistic regression model showed that female gender (OR=0.43, 95% CI (0.28-0.64)), high level of self-esteem (OR=0.67, 95% CI (0.52-0.86)), and moderate exercise (OR=0.71, 95% CI (0.55-0.92)) reduced the onset of depressive symptoms; while high levels of baseline anxiety (OR=1.48, 95% CI (1.12-1.94)), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Neuroticism (OR=1.40, 95% CI (1.09-1.79)), concern over mistakes (OR=1.35,95% CI (1.07-1.71)), daytime sleepiness (OR=1.28, 95% CI (1.02-1.60)), mild exercise (OR=1.25, 95% CI (1.01-1.55)) increased the new onset of depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The high two-year cumulative incidence indicates that depressive symptoms are an important mental problem in Chinese college students. The present findings on the risk factors of depressive symptoms in Chinese college students may be useful for the design of student health screening and intervention programs.