US college student mental health and COVID-19: Comparing pre-pandemic and pandemic timepoints

Abstract

Objective: To assess mental health in US undergraduates during COVID-19; to identify key pandemic-related stressors, perceived control, and coping and their associations with mental health.

Participants: Data collected from a sample of undergraduates in April 2020 (N = 312) were compared to data collected in Spring 2017 (N = 362).

Methods: Online measures of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms and perceived control and coping (both samples); pandemic-related stressors and perceived benefits (April 2020).

Results: Depression and stress symptoms were higher in April 2020 than in 2017. Most students reported perceiving at least some pandemic-related benefits. Top-rated stressors involved missing seeing friends and school-related stressors. Perceived control and approach coping were lower during the pandemic but related to better mental health; avoidant coping was higher during the pandemic and related to poorer mental health.

Conclusions: Findings can inform campuses regarding how to improve student mental health during COVID and beyond.

Keywords: COVID; college students; coping; mental health; pandemic; stress.