Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study
By Changwon Son, Sudeep Hegde, Alec Smith, Xiaomei Wang, F. Sasangohar. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2020
2,295 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Background Student mental health in higher education has been an increasing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus. Objective Our study aims to conduct a timely assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college students. Methods We conducted interview surveys with 195 students at a large public university in the United States to understand the effects of the pandemic on their mental health and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Results Of the 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating (173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms. Conclusions Due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on higher education. The findings of our study highlight the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of college students.
Subfields: Clinical Psychology, General Health Professions, Social Psychology
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a0da8c954db17d28219d22bc472487036915ab6d
How researchers see this paper
The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.
- Xiaomei Wang
- Sudeep Hegde
- Natalia Zapata-Cuervo
- B. Keller
- Changwon Son
- Alec Smith
- M. I. Montes-Guerra
- F. Sasangohar
Citations in the corpus
- Investigating Mental Health of US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study (2020, methodology): “Initial codes were created based on a previous coding scheme used for an interview study [14].”
- Students’ Psychological Perceptions Toward Online Learning Engagement and Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Analysis of Students in Three Different Countries (2021, background): “As COVID-19 surges, college students’ mental stress and concerns about their academic performance have increased (Son et al., 2020).”