The relationship between mindfulness and mental health among Chinese college students during the closed-loop management of the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderated mediation model

To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic on campus, universities in outbreak areas in China can implement closed-loop management. Objects: This study aimed to explore the relationship between mindfulness and mental health of college students under closed-loop management. Measures: 11,939 college students from a university in Changsha, China participated in the online survey during the closed-loop management period. The Chinese version of Perceived Stress Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Cognitive Reappraisal, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the 7-item General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire were administered to the college students. Results: We found that mindfulness was negative association with mental health during the closed-loop management period. Perceived stress mediated the relationship between mindfulness and mental health. Cognitive reappraisal moderated the relationship be-tween mindfulness and perceived stress. Specifically, when the level of mindfulness is the same, individuals with more cognitive reappraisal tend to experience a less perceived stress. Conclusion: The results of this study are of great significance to improve the mental health of college students during closed-loop management period.