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Background <p>While the short-term impact of financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate students has been studied, the prolonged impact remains largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the association between perceived financial decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students in Japan in 2022. The study also explores the cross-sectional roles of financial anxiety, the imbalance between part-time job and academic study (work-study imbalance), and worry about degree attainment in accounting for the association.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey of undergraduate students (<i>n</i> = 2,120) recruited through a Japanese internet research service company between 9 and 14 February 2022. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), with a cut-off score of 10. Perceived financial change compared to the pre-pandemic level was categorised as ‘Better,’ ‘Same,’ or ‘Worse.’ Poisson regression analysis with robust error variance was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Using the difference method, we calculated the percentage change in the PR accounted for by the three variables.</p> Results <p>The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the participants was 27.2%, and 31.2% reported financial decline. The adjusted PR for depressive symptoms among those reporting financial decline was 1.52 (95% CI: 1.31–1.76) compared to those reporting no change. The proportion of the association accounted for by financial anxiety, work-study imbalance, and worry about degree attainment was 64.0%, 42.4%, and 12.7%, respectively. When adjusted for simultaneously, these three variables accounted for 81.9% of the association.</p> Conclusions <p>Perceived financial decline was associated with depressive symptoms among undergraduate students even in 2022. These findings highlight the need for continued financial and mental health support for vulnerable students.</p>

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Perceived financial decline and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students in Japan in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of potential indirect associations

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月2日

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  • Hiroshi Morimura,
  • Yukihiro Sato,
  • Eiji Yoshioka,
  • Yasuaki Saijo

摘要

Background

While the short-term impact of financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate students has been studied, the prolonged impact remains largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the association between perceived financial decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students in Japan in 2022. The study also explores the cross-sectional roles of financial anxiety, the imbalance between part-time job and academic study (work-study imbalance), and worry about degree attainment in accounting for the association.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey of undergraduate students (n = 2,120) recruited through a Japanese internet research service company between 9 and 14 February 2022. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), with a cut-off score of 10. Perceived financial change compared to the pre-pandemic level was categorised as ‘Better,’ ‘Same,’ or ‘Worse.’ Poisson regression analysis with robust error variance was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Using the difference method, we calculated the percentage change in the PR accounted for by the three variables.

Results

The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the participants was 27.2%, and 31.2% reported financial decline. The adjusted PR for depressive symptoms among those reporting financial decline was 1.52 (95% CI: 1.31–1.76) compared to those reporting no change. The proportion of the association accounted for by financial anxiety, work-study imbalance, and worry about degree attainment was 64.0%, 42.4%, and 12.7%, respectively. When adjusted for simultaneously, these three variables accounted for 81.9% of the association.

Conclusions

Perceived financial decline was associated with depressive symptoms among undergraduate students even in 2022. These findings highlight the need for continued financial and mental health support for vulnerable students.