College Students' Academic Stressors on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison between Graduating Students and Non-Graduating Students

ABSTRACT

The study aimed to investigate the influence of academic stressors on mental health and the mediating effect of social support and self-identity among college students and further studied the difference between the graduating students and non-graduating students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Recruiting 900 college students as subjects, used the college students??? academic stressors questionnaire, social support questionnaire, self-identity scale and depression anxiety stress scales (DASS-21). The results showed that (1) The college students??? academic stressor positively predicted mental health;(2) Social support and self-identity mediated the relationship;(3) The model also held when academic stressors was replaced by work stressor, but there were differences between the graduating and nongraduating students;(4) The direct effect work stressor on mental health in the graduating group was not significant;(5) The non-graduating students??? work stressor could not predict mental health through social support.