Summary
Researchers found that the pandemic doubled the incidence of clinical depression among first-year college students, affecting one-third of the cohort. Even students with genetic resilience factors were not spared, especially young women. The study utilized an ‘Affect Score’ tool combining mental health questionnaires and genetic risk prediction, offering potential for early depression prediction and prevention. This research is vital in understanding the long-term mental health implications of the pandemic on young adults and developing targeted support strategies.
Key Facts
- The pandemic saw a doubling of clinical depression rates among first-year college students compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- The Affect Score tool developed by the researchers combines mental health questionnaires with genetic data to predict depression risk.
- The study highlights the diminished role of genetic resilience in the face of heightened pandemic-related stress, particularly among young women.
Source
University of Michigan
Content
Living through a historic pandemic while handling the stress of the first year of college sent one-third of students in a new study into clinical depression. That’s double the percentage seen in previous years of the same study.
And while certain genetic factors appeared to shield first-year students in pre-pandemic years from depression, even students with these protective factors found themselves developing symptoms in the pandemic years.
In fact, much of the overall rise in student depression during the pandemic was among young women with this kind of “genetic resilience.”
But the research has a silver lining.
By studying these students’ experiences and backgrounds in depth and over time, scientists may have discovered a way to go beyond genetics to predict which students might be more or less vulnerable to stress-related depression.
The new study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a team from the Michigan Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan.
Potential for prediction and prevention
The team used their findings to develop a tool called an Affect Score, that combines answers from a range of standard mental health questionnaires. The score could help colleges and universities offer more social and mental health support to those most at risk.
The score might work in other groups of people, too, alone or in combination with genetic risk prediction for depression. But further research is needed.
Dr Oliver Reynolds, MD, Cure of Mind