The impact of COVID-19 on university students' academic motivation, social connection, and psychological well-being

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted our daily lives. Public health officials are encouraging restrictions on social gatherings, limiting the amount of time and number of people individuals can interact with in-person. However, people have an innate need for belonging, and social isolation can exacerbate psychological distress. Due to school closings, students have shifted to online learning, which may foster feelings of detachment from their respective schools and impact students' motivation to continue learning in an online context. In the present study, we surveyed N = 238 undergraduate students to assess the relationships between academic motivation, sense of belonging to their university, and COVID-19-related distress. Correlational analyses revealed positive relationships between academic motivation and sense of belonging, and negative relationships between these two variables and COVID-19-related distress. A multiple linear regression demonstrated that sense of belonging and socioeconomic status negatively associated with COVID-19-related distress. Believing that online learning is as effective as in-person learning did not moderate the relationship between the sense of belonging and academic motivation. We discuss implications for colleges and universities to improve students' psychological well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)