ERIC Number: EJ1451582
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on College Student Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Comparison Study
Matthew J. Hirshberg; Blake Colaianne; Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas; Godwill Oke; Natalia Van Doren; Richard J. Davidson; Robert W. Roeser
Journal of American College Health, v72 n9 p3536-3545 2024
Objective: Evaluate COVID-19 pandemic impacts on college student mental health. Participants: Three cohorts of college students (2018 n = 466; 2019 n = 459; 2020, n = 563; N = 1488) from three American universities. Participants were 71.4% female, 67.5% White, and 85.9% first-year students. Methods: Multivariable regression models and bivariate correlations were used to compare anxiety, depression, well-being, and search for meaning before and during the pandemic, and the relationships between pandemic health-compliance behaviors and mental health. Results: Anxiety, depression, and well-being did not significantly worsen during compared to before (2019) the pandemic (ps = 0.329-0.837). During the pandemic, more frequent in-person social interactions were correlated with lower anxiety (r = -0.17, p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (r=-0.12, p = .008), and higher well-being (r = 0.16, p < 0.001), but also less handwashing (r = -0.11, p = 0.016) and face mask-wearing (r = -0.12, p = 0.008). Conclusions: We observed little evidence for pandemic impacts on college student mental health. Lower compliance with pandemic health guidelines was associated with better mental health.
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Well Being, Health Behavior, Interpersonal Relationship, Hygiene, Disease Control, Undergraduate Students, Life Satisfaction
Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: U24AT011289