International Comparison of Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among University Students in 13 Countries: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety about the possibility of infection, stress, and depression has grown worldwide,1-3 and limited outdoor activities due to COVID-19 restrictions have led specifically to ele- vated feelings of depression in young people who had pre- viously been physically active. However, studies on the association between COVID-19 and depression in physi- cally active undergraduate and graduate students are lacking.4 Rigorous personal hygiene practices are more effective than national policies for COVID-19 prevention.5 We assumed that many undergraduate and graduate students who engaged in frequent outdoor and social activities before the pandemic would experience increased pandemic- related depressive symptoms, and the degree of their symp- toms would be affected by their personal hygiene practices. Thus, we aimed to identify the predictors of depressive symptoms due to the COVID-19 pandemic among under- graduate and graduate students worldwide to provide data for use in the creation of pandemic-related mental health policies for younger generations.