Table 1 Overview of the self-report measures included in the survey and hypotheses
Questionnaires and survey items | Hypotheses |
|---|---|
Mental Health | |
Depression | |
Questionnaire: PHQ-2 [38] | |
Screening for depressive symptoms Cut off score (> 3): risk of depression Symptom assessment (last 2 weeks) | - Presence of depressive symptoms - Prevalence of depressive symptoms in the present student sample probably higher than reported in surveys before the pandemic |
Anxiety | |
Questionnaire: STAI [37] | |
STAI-State (how do you feel right now) STAI-Trait (anxiety proneness, how do you feel in general) Cut off scores: (> 40/44) high versus low state anxiety, high versus low trait anxiety | - High prevalence of state anxiety and trait anxiety, probably higher than reported in surveys before the pandemic |
Threat perception | |
Survey Items: How does the current pandemic situation make you feel? | |
• Answers on 9-point SAM scales [41] (valence, arousal, dominance) | |
(a) valence (negative/unpleasant-positive/pleasant, 1–9) (b) arousal (low/calm-high/aroused; 1–9) (c) dominance (low/no control–high/in control; 1–9) | - Higher negativity/unpleasantness than positivity/pleasantness - High arousal ratings - Lack of dominance (not in control of the situation) |
• Answers: discrete emotions: | |
- happy, neutral, surprise, disgust, anger, fear, or sadness Scales: “yes”, “no” (“no” indicates no change) | - Feeling more often afraid, angry, sad than happy or surprised or neutral |
Feelings during the pandemic | |
Survey Item: Describe your feelings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by completing the prompt “I feel ….” Answer: free text, five words | High number of negative words expressing negative feelings than positive words expressing positive feelings |
Difficulties in emotion perception (relative to before the pandemic) | |
Questionnaire: TAS-20 [42] | |
Cut off score > 60 | |
3 subscales: - difficulties on describing feelings - difficulties in identifying feelings - externally oriented thinking | - Difficulties describing and identify feelings and externally oriented thinking style |
Worries about health and perceived changes in health behaviour during the pandemic | |
Single survey items (created for this survey) | |
- worries about mental health - worries about physical health - perceived changes in physical activity ○ exercise less (one item) ○ exercise more (one item) | - Worries in mental and physical health expected - Perceived changes expected in all health domains (less physical activity, more eating, weight gain, and change in sleeping) |
- perceived changes in eating behaviour ○ eat more (one item) ○ eat less (one item) - perceived changes in sleeping behaviour ○ sleep more (one item) ○ sleep less (one item) | |
- perceived changes in weight ○ weight gain (one item) ○ weight loss (one item) | - Increase expected in all bodily domains |
Answers: now during the pandemic relative to before the pandemic Scales: Scales: “yes”, “no” (“no” indicates no change) - perceived changes in paying attention to bodily sensations and symptoms ○ taste ○ smell ○ cardiovascular ○ breathing/respiration ○ appetite/eating/drinking Answers: now during the pandemic relative to before the pandemic Scales: Likert type (1 = not at all/decreased, 10 = increased/very much) | |
Social behaviour | |
Single survey items (created for this survey) | |
Following pandemic rules (social distancing) Difficulties in not going out Answers: now during the pandemic relative to before the pandemic Scales: Scales: “yes”, “no” (“no” indicates no change) | - Difficulties in social distancing |
Teaching and Learning behaviour | |
Single survey items (created for this survey) Difficulties in self-regulated learning - Attention and effort: ○ unable to concentrate and focus ○ preoccupation with the current situation, lost in content Answers: now during the pandemic relative to before the pandemic Scales: Scales: “yes”, “no” (“no” indicates no change) | - Difficulties expected in self-regulatory capacities |
Personality and Self-Concept BIG Five Questionnaire: BFI-40 [43] | |
Subscales - neuroticism - extraversion - openness - conscientiousness - agreeableness Self-Concept Linguistic task modified according to TST [45] | - Personality traits are expected to be correlated with self-reported changes in anxiety, depression and emotion perception |
Describe your personality “I am …” Answer: free text, five words | - Positive versus negative self-concept should be associated with positive or negative word use, respectively |