Fear of Infection and Depressive Symptoms among German University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant psychological impact at the population level and fear of infection is one of the stressors involved. The study aimed to examine fear of infection and associations with university students' depressive symptoms, substance use, and social contacts during the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany in May 2020. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted at four German universities (n = 5.021, 69% female, mean age: 24 years) as part of the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study. Fear of infection was assessed using self-generated items, depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Scale (CES-D-8). Associations between fear of infection and depressive symptoms were analyzed with linear regressions, controlling for sociodemographic variables. A total of 34% of the participants reported feeling worried about getting infected themselves, 75% were worried about someone from their personal network getting infected, and 78% feared that individuals close to them would get severely ill after infection. Sixteen percent of the variance of depressive symptoms could be explained by fear of infection (p <= 0.001). Students' fear of infection should be considered in student communication and counseling to prevent worsening of mental health in this population.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant psychological impact on the population, with fear of infection being one of the stressors. This study examined the fear of infection among university students in Germany during the COVID-19 outbreak in May 2020. The results showed that 34% of the participants were worried about getting infected themselves, 75% were worried about someone in their personal network getting infected, and 78% feared that close individuals would get severely ill after infection. There was a significant association between fear of infection and depressive symptoms, with fear of infection explaining 16% of the variance in depressive symptoms.