Online learning predictors of mental health in third-level students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland

Abstract

Objective COVID-19 forced third-level students to transition to online learning (OL). Many students encountered issues with OL, such as accessibility. However, the relationship between OL issues and mental health during this time remains poorly understood. Participants: Third-level students in Ireland (N = 268) completed an online questionnaire examining experiences with OL and mental health during COVID-19. Methods: OL social, lecturer, accessibility, individual skills, and environment issues, were entered into logistic regression analyses to examine whether these variables predicted mental health outcomes and/or preference to keep OL. Results: Students reporting more individual skills issues were more likely to attain a probable diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, complex posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression (p < 0.0083); students who reported more environment issues were less likely to report preference to keep OL (p < 0.0005). Conclusions: Given individual skills issues associated with worse mental health, future research should examine improving student perceptions of their own OL skills.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• Ireland
• mental health
• online learning
• third-level students

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge all individuals who participated in this survey.

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 Ireland and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of The National College of Ireland

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Funding

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