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Post-Pandemic Differences in Symptom Networks and Personality Associations Among College Students: A Repeated
Yue Tang1, Changyu Liu1, Peng Lei2
1College of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Post-pandemic college student mental health shows stable overall levels but altered symptom networks. Interpersonal sensitivity and paranoia symptom influence increased, impacting personality trait associations, suggesting personalized mental health strategies are needed.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Mental Health Research
- Network Analysis
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global college student mental health.
- The structural changes in psychological symptoms and their links to personality post-pandemic remain under-investigated.
- Previous research indicates a need to understand long-term mental health shifts in student populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the network structure of psychological symptoms and their associations with personality traits between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic college freshmen cohorts.
- To identify shifts in symptom centrality and interrelationships with personality dimensions.
- To assess the invariance of the psychological symptom network structure across different time periods.
Main Methods:
- Network analysis was applied to data from 51,305 college freshmen.
- The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were utilized.
- Network structures were estimated and compared between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic groups using invariance tests.
Main Results:
- Anxiety and depression remained central symptom domains in both cohorts.
- A significant shift in network structure was detected (network-structure invariance test significant).
- The expected influence of interpersonal sensitivity and paranoia significantly increased; associations between extraversion-interpersonal sensitivity and neuroticism-obsessive-compulsive symptoms were altered.
Conclusions:
- While overall mental health did not substantially deteriorate, the underlying psychological symptom network structure and its links to personality traits have changed.
- These findings underscore the importance of considering personality traits in understanding and addressing post-pandemic mental health challenges in university students.
- Future research should explore personality-informed interventions for student mental well-being.
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