Depression in China During the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: We aimed to determine the prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic among Chinese adults by province, and to determine key associated sociodemographic characteristics in order to inform future focused interventions on those most affected. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey by the Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9). We calculated the prevalence of depression nationally, and used logistic regression models to examine how the prevalence of depression varied by adults’ sociodemographic characteristics. All analyses used survey sampling weights. Findings: The survey was initiated by 14,493 participants, with 10,000 completing all survey questions and included in the analysis. A higher risk of depression was associated with living in urban areas (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.23-2.12), working as a nurse (OR, 3.54; 95% CI, 1.37-9.11), and having a family member (OR, 23.75; 95% CI, 1.86-303.51), neighbor (OR, 19.71; 95% CI, 1.54-252.22) with confirmed COVID-19. A lower risk of depression was associated with participants who had an accurate knowledge of COVID-19 transmission (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.94), and awareness of recommended healthcare-seeking behavior for suspected COVID-19 (OR, 0.74; 95%CI, 0.57-0.95). The prevalence of depression in China was found to be still high (42.8%) [41.8% - 43.7%]. Interpretations: Depression was more common among urban dwellers, nurses, and those with a family member or neighbor with COVID-19. Accurate knowledge of COVID-19 transmission and awareness of recommended healthcare-seeking behavior may reduce the risk of depression. Funding: This study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Sino- German Center for Research Promotion. Declaration of Interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Ethical Approval: This research was approved by the institutional review board of Heidelberg University Hospital