Impact of resilience on college student mental health during COVID-19

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted college student mental health and alcohol use and to determine how resilience could alleviate negative outcomes.

Participants

Students attending an Appalachian university during spring 2020 were surveyed shortly after on-campus activities stopped.

Methods

Survey items included resilience, demographics, self-rated health, and depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and alcohol use before and since COVID-19.

Results

There was a significant increase in prevalence of severe depression, severe anxiety, and high stress, and a significant decrease in prevalence high risk for problem drinking before and since COVID-19. Four separate standard least squares regression models were conducted with each of the dependent variables. Self-rated health was the strongest predictor for changes in depression, anxiety, and stress in each of the models, displaying a negative relationship.

Conclusions

Universities should prepare students using resilience training and provide employment and other resources to mitigate effects of stressful situations.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• colle ge student
• resilience
• mental health
• alcohol use

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of theUnited States of America and received approval from the West Virginia University’s Institutional Review Board.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (grant nos. WVA00689 and WVA00721).