The impact of COVID-19 on college students from communities of color

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on daily living, mental well-being, and experiences of racial discrimination among college students from communities of color. Participants: Sample comprised 193 ethnically diverse college students, aged 18 to 25 years (M = 20.5 years), who were participating in virtual internships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional 16-item survey was developed as a partnership between two nonprofit organizations. The survey included both close-ended and open-ended questions assessing the impact of COVID-19. Results: The students of color reported disruptive changes in finances (54%), living situation (35%), academic performance (46%), educational plans (49%), and career goals (36%). Primary mental health challenges included stress (41%), anxiety (33%), and depression (18%). Students also noted challenges managing racial injustice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Higher education institutions will benefit from financially and emotionally supporting students of color during the COVID-19 pandemic and growing visibility of systemic racism.

Keywords:

• college students
• communities of color
• COVID-19
• mental health

Acknowledgments

The project was sponsored by INROADS and The Steve Fund. The authors wish to thank these organizations for the opportunity to collaborate on a timely and pertinent research question. Special thanks to the support from Forest Harper, president and CEO of INROADS and Bryan Barnes, Chief Program Officer of INROADS. On behalf of INROADS and The Steve Fund, the authors would like to express their gratitude to participants for their generous contributions to the study during a time of great stress and uncertainty.

Conflict of interest

No potential competing interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.