Chinese adolescents’ mental health status and their coping strategy use in COVID-19

This study investigated the relationships between Chinese adolescents’ mental health status and their coping strategy use in the context of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 4579 participants answered two questionnaires, and data were analyzed through multiple statistical procedures, including Pearson correlation test and one-way ANOVA. The findings show that COVID-19 generally had minor effects on the mental health of the participants and problem-solving was reported as an effective strategy to tackle the stressors caused by the pandemic. Additionally, avoiding, help-seeking and patience demonstrated similar frequency across participants and fantasying was used the most by those with severe mental health status. These findings will shed some light into how educators provide effective mental health instructions for students, and concomitantly will help in tailoring early interventions that would mitigate the adverse effects of disasters like COVID-19 on adolescents and beyond.