Unhappy or unsatisfied: distinguishing the role of negative affect and need frustration in depressive symptoms over the academic year and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental health problems are becoming increasingly prevalent across college campuses. Past research has found that negative affect and frustration of basic psychological needs contribute to the development of depressive symptoms, but there is limited research which compares whether these are antecedents or concomitants of depressive symptoms. The present set of studies aimed to distinguish the differential associations of affect and need frustration on depressive symptoms. Students (Nstudy1 = 379; Nstudy2 = 235) completed measures on negative affect, need frustration (e.g., relatedness, competence, and autonomy), and depressive symptoms over an academic year and during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In both samples, fully cross-lagged path models were used to examine the relation between need frustration, negative affect, and depressive symptoms over time. Across both studies, basic psychological need frustration was the only consistent predictor of both negative affect and depressive symptoms over time, suggesting that need frustration is an antecedent of depressive symptoms over time, and especially during vulnerable time periods. Additionally, in Study 2, reports from close others confirm that need frustration is the largest indicator of depressive presentation in students. These results highlight the relative importance of basic psychological need frustration in predicting depressive symptoms in university students.

A not so perfect plan: An examination of the differential influence of multidimensional perfectionism on missed and gained events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals missed out on important life events, but it was also a chance for some to engage with new interests or values. This research examined how individuals higher in perfectionism experienced missed and gained events during the pandemic, and how their perceptions of these events influenced their mental health. University students (N = 350) were surveyed in September 2020, assessing perfectionism, depression, missed/gained events, and need satisfaction related to these events, and then followed up in December. A combined missed and gained event score was created to better understand overall need satisfaction from these changes. Individuals higher in self-critical perfectionism were more likely to experience need dissatisfaction overall and this partially explained why these individuals experienced more depressive symptoms over time during the pandemic. Conversely, those higher in personal standards perfectionism experienced more need satisfaction overall and this was related to reduced depressive symptoms. Results suggest that individuals higher in self-critical perfectionism were less flexible when things did not go according to their plan. This may be one reason these individuals had a more difficult time coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zooming their way through university: Which Big 5 traits facilitated students' adjustment to online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many students struggled with the abrupt transition to online classes required by the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research used a self-determination theory framework to examine the role of the Big 5 personality traits in university students' adaptation to online learning, measured by their quality of motivation, subjective well-being, self-efficacy, online engagement, and online satisfaction. A longitudinal study was conducted across the 2020 fall semester and included a total of 350 university students who answered surveys in September and December. Results showed that conscientiousness and openness to experience were associated with higher self-efficacy and with different forms of autonomous motivation for online learning. Conscientiousness was related to identified motivation, whereas openness to experience was related to intrinsic motivation. In contrast, neuroticism was related to increases in controlled motivation. Only openness to experience was strongly related to engagement with online learning and higher levels of subjective well-being. These findings suggest that openness to experience may be an adaptive trait for students' transition to online classes during these times of uncertainty.