Chinese college students experienced mild depressive symptoms initially.

Depressive symptoms showed a subsequently decreasing trend.

Social support and family functioning were protective factors for depressive symptoms.

Higher risk perception and smartphone addiction can increase depressive symptoms.

Depressive symptoms positively predicted smartphone addiction and negatively predicted state hope.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is not only an immediate hazard but also a long-term risk to the development of depressive symptoms. However, it remains unclear how people's depressive symptoms change with the process of COVID-19. Further, there is also a paucity of research on the underlying antecedents and outcomes of depressive symptoms during this global health crisis. In this study, a longitudinal study was conducted in China and the data of 559 participants were collected from the outbreak period to the normalization period of the pandemic through self-report questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were longitudinally analyzed using Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Core variables involving society, family, individual cognition, and behaviors were studied as determinants or consequences. Latent growth curve model analyses indicated that college students had mild depressive symptoms at the initial stage of COVID-19 with a subsequent decreasing linear slope. Depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by college students’ risk perception of COVID-19, social support, family functioning, and smartphone addiction tendency. Further, their depressive symptoms predicted the changes in smartphone addiction tendency and levels of hope. In conclusion, current findings can provide implications for future prevention and intervention of mental disorders to assist college students through such challenging times.

COVID-19

Depressive symptoms

College students

Latent growth curve model

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