Testing positive, losing a loved one, and financial hardship: Real-world impacts of COVID-19 on US college student distress.
J Affect Disord
; 314: 357-364, 2022 10 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1956185
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on U.S. college students. In addition to facing academic-related stress and social pressures, these individuals are now increasingly susceptible to experiences such as contracting the virus, losing loved ones to COVID-19, or facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. The effects of such personal, pandemic-related experiences on young adult mental health - and the inherent racial disparities within these outcomes - remain largely understudied.METHODS:
We analyzed 65,568 undergraduate students from the Spring 2021 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA).RESULTS:
The rates of the aforementioned COVID-19-related stressors were unevenly distributed across racial groups. A logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of moderate and serious psychological distress revealed that participants who had experienced the death of a loved one had 1.14 times greater odds of developing psychological distress (p < 0.0001). Those who experienced financial hardship had an odds ratio of 1.78 (p < 0.0001). Surprisingly, testing positive for COVID-19 was associated with an odds ratio of 0.82 of psychological distress (p < 0.0001).LIMITATIONS:
Self-reported measures are susceptible to recall bias and misinterpretation. Exposure and outcome variables were measured simultaneously in this cross-sectional study which limits inference on causality.CONCLUSIONS:
Financial burdens and bereavement are especially impactful stressors among college students during the pandemic, whereas contracting COVID-19 seemingly exhibits less impact on distress levels. When addressing student wellbeing, institutions should consider prioritizing the implementation of resources to support individuals affected by pandemic-related financial and familial losses.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
J Affect Disord
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.jad.2022.07.022
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