Table_1_Depression and Anxiety in Times of COVID-19: How Coping Strategies and Loneliness Relate to Mental Health Outcomes and Academic Performance.docx

The link between depression, anxiety, and loneliness has been well established in the literature. Yet, the performance consequences of these negative mental health outcomes and the role of coping behaviors, as well as behavioral consequences such as procrastination as mediators have received far less research attention. Due to the COVID-19 social isolation restrictions, people are at risk of falling into a negative mental health spiral that can also affect their performance over time. The purpose of this longitudinal study among 881 first-year bachelor students is to explore the mechanisms by which loneliness, coping strategies in the context of COVID-19, mental health outcomes and procrastination sequentially mediate the relationship depression and anxiety on the one hand, and academic performance on the other hand. We measured mental health variables several times during the COVID-19 crisis and assessed how this translates into academic performance at the end of the academic year. By performing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, three high-order factors for the coping strategies in the context of the COVID-19 crisis were identified, namely maladaptive coping, adaptive coping, and supportive coping. Structural equation modeling was used to test the sequential mediational model. The results showed that maladaptive coping strategies employed at T2 during the lockdown, but not adaptive or supportive coping partially mediate the trajectories of depression (T1) and anxiety (T1). Loneliness (T2) partially mediated the trajectory of depression and anxiety (T1), and procrastination fully mediated the impact of depression (T3) on academic performance (T4). These results help understand the mechanisms that influence mental health and academic performance outcomes in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Based on the study outcomes, educational researchers can test strategies to reduce the adverse effects of stressful situations in learning environments by targeting maladaptive coping behaviors and procrastination.

抑郁症、焦虑症与孤独感之间的关联已在学术文献中得到充分证实。然而，这类负面心理健康结局对个体表现的影响、应对行为的作用，以及以拖延为代表的行为后果作为中介变量的相关研究却相对匮乏。受新冠疫情（COVID-19）社交隔离管控措施影响，民众面临陷入负面心理健康恶性循环的风险，且该风险会随时间推移对其日常表现产生不利影响。本研究针对881名本科一年级学生开展纵向追踪调查，旨在探明抑郁与焦虑对学业表现的影响可依次通过孤独感、新冠疫情背景下的应对策略、心理健康结局以及拖延行为进行中介传导的内在机制。研究团队在新冠疫情期间多次对心理健康相关变量进行测评，并在学年末评估上述变量与学业表现间的关联模式。通过探索性因素分析与验证性因素分析，本研究识别出新冠疫情背景下应对策略的三个高阶维度：适应不良型应对、适应良好型应对与社会支持型应对。研究采用结构方程模型（Structural Equation Modeling, SEM）对该序列中介模型进行检验。结果显示，封锁期间T2时刻采用的适应不良型应对策略，而非适应良好型或社会支持型应对策略，可部分中介T1时刻抑郁与焦虑的发展轨迹。T2时刻的孤独感可部分中介T1时刻抑郁与焦虑的发展轨迹，而拖延行为则完全中介了T3时刻抑郁对T4时刻学业表现的影响。上述研究结果有助于阐明新冠疫情背景下影响心理健康与学业表现的内在作用机制。基于本研究结论，教育研究者可通过靶向干预适应不良型应对行为与拖延行为，探索缓解学习环境中压力情境所带来的负面影响的有效策略。