Objective To understand the stress level of people seeking psychological counseling under the coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID⁃19） pandemic and to explore its related factors.
Methods An online survey was conducted on 1 194 people who sought psychological counseling in Shanghai through the “health cloud” psychological counseling service platform. The questionnaire included demographic information，lifestyle and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results Participants with low，medium，high and very high stress levels accounted for 33.1% （395/1 194），34.6% （413/1 194），25.4% （303/1 194） and 7.0% （83/1 194），respectively. Women and participants aged 18 to 30 years had higher stress levels（Z=-5.368，P<0.001； Z=35.822，P<0.001） compared with other groups. Factors contributing to the rise in stress included reading too much information about COVID-19 （OR=2.057，95%CI：1.012‒4.181），large changes in sleep state （OR=3.496，95%CI：1.669‒7.325），lack of hobbies and interests （OR=2.852，95%CI：1.252‒6.500），and prone to anxiety/irritability/sadness （OR=4.098，95%CI：1.772‒9.480）.
Conclusion people who sought psychological counseling show high levels of psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. We should pay more attention to the vulnerable groups with the following characteristics： women，18‒30 years old， residents who pay too much attention to the pandemic information，sleep less， and almost lose interest in hobbies， and easily become anxious/irritable/sad.
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