Prevalence and Predictors of PTSD during the Containment Stage of COVID-19 Epidemic among College Female Students in China

Abstract Background College students are a uniquely vulnerable group and may experience high stress levels due to COVID-19, especially for girls. This study aims to identify the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and related factors among the target population during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A total of 2205 college female students from six provinces enrolled in this study and completed the questions about cognitive status of COVID-19, the Impact of Event Scale-6 (IES-6), the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MPSSS) and a self-developed 10-item Perceived threat scale. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed by SPSS software to explore the determinants of PTSD symptoms.Results PTSD symptoms were prevalent in this sample of college female students, and 34.20% met the cut-off for PTSD. Self-reported fair or poor health (AOR=1.78, 95%CI: 1.22-2.59), high concern about COVID-19 (AOR=1.66, 95%CI: 1.35-2.03), beliefs that 'COVID-19 can cause a global outbreak' (AOR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.02-1.56), the perception of ‘risk of infection’ (AOR=2.46, 95%CI: 2.16-2.81), beliefs that ‘closed management’ and ‘COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern’ would have an impact, and the fear of ‘impact on life planning’ were all positively associated with PTSD (AOR=1.37, 1.22 and 1.29, respectively), whereas perceived social support from family (AOR=0.81, 95%CI: 0.70-0.93) was negatively associated with PTSD. Among the significant variables at the bivariate level, multivariate logistic regression revealed that the greatest protector for PTSD was the high knowledge score (AOR=0.73, 95%CI: 0.60-0.90), while had confirmed cases among relatives and friends (AOR=7.70, 95%CI: 1.28-46.25) was the strongest predictor of PTSD.Conclusions In summary, PTSD symptoms were prevalent among college female students in China during the COVID-19 epidemic. Targeting vulnerable populations to improve their knowledge of COVID-19 and create an atmosphere of social support would be beneficial to improve the mental health of the female students during the COVID-19 epidemic.