COVID-19 spread rapidly across the world, and by March 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was identified in South Africa. Lockdown-related measures such as restricted movement and isolation were implemented to contain the virus. Combined with these measures, factors such as economic decline, job losses, and food shortages can cause numerous mental health sequelae such as depression. Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness as well as cases of suicide have been reported around the world due to the pandemic and the associated feelings of anxiety and depression. The aims of this study were to investigate levels of hopelessness and depression in a sample of health care students. A random sample of students (N = 174) enrolled in a health sciences programme at the University of the Western Cape completed the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and a three-item Resilience Scale. The results revealed high levels of hopelessness and depression compared to previously reported normative data for these scales. In addition, the indirect effects of hopelessness on depression were significant, demonstrating the mediating role of resilience in the hopelessness–depression relationship. These results highlight a call for universities to take proactive measures in providing students with free and easily accessible resources to help them cope and manage stress during a traumatic event. More importantly, at a national level, preventive measures should be implemented to strengthen resilience in young adults.

COVID-19在世界各地迅速传播，到2020年3月，在南非发现了第一例COVID-19。实施了与锁定相关的措施，例如限制活动和隔离，以遏制该病毒。结合这些措施，诸如经济衰退，失业和食物短缺等因素可能会导致许多精神健康后遗症，例如抑郁症。由于流行病以及与之相关的焦虑和沮丧感，世界各地都报告了绝望和无助的感觉以及自杀的情况。这项研究的目的是调查样本的卫生保健学生的绝望和抑郁水平。学生的随机样本（N = 174）在西开普大学（University of Western Cape）参加了一项健康科学计划的学生，完成了贝克绝望量表，流行病学研究中心抑郁量表和三个项目的复原力量表。结果显示，与先前报道的这些量表的标准数据相比，绝望和沮丧情绪高发。此外，绝望对抑郁症的间接影响是巨大的，这表明了复原力在绝望与抑郁关系中的中介作用。这些结果突显了呼吁大学采取积极措施为学生提供免费且易于访问的资源，以帮助他们在创伤事件中应对和应对压力的方法。更重要的是，在国家一级，应采取预防措施以增强年轻人的适应能力。