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Mental Health of Chinese Online Networkers under COVID-19: A Sociological Analysis of Survey Data

Author

Listed:
  • Yang Xiao

    (School of Philosophy and Government, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China)

  • Yanjie Bian

    (Institute for Empirical Social Science Research, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
    Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA)

  • Lei Zhang

    (Department of Sociology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA)

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a recent survey of Chinese WeChat networkers ( n = 2015, August 2020) about China’s mental health conditions under COVID-19. The purpose of the survey was to measure symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization by using a standard 18-item battery and assess how the results were related to an individual’s socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and social capital under an ongoing pandemic. The survey reveals that the pandemic has had a significant impact, as the respondents had more serious mental symptoms when their residential communities exhibited a greater exposure to the spread of the virus. The socioeconomic status of the respondents was negatively associated with the mental symptoms. It modified the impact of COVID-19, and its effect was substantially mediated by measures of lifestyle and social capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang Xiao & Yanjie Bian & Lei Zhang, 2020. "Mental Health of Chinese Online Networkers under COVID-19: A Sociological Analysis of Survey Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:23:p:8843-:d:452678
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Zhangbo Yang & Jiahao Zhang & Shanxing Gao & Hui Wang, 2022. "Complex Contact Network of Patients at the Beginning of an Epidemic Outbreak: An Analysis Based on 1218 COVID-19 Cases in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Mingna Li & Bo Zhou & Bingbin Hu, 2022. "Relationship between Income and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-14, July.

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