COVID-19 pandemic effects on college student mental health: A cross-sectional cohort comparison study

Abstract

Objective

Evaluate COVID-19 pandemic impacts on college student mental health.

Participants

Three cohorts of college students (2018 n = 466; 2019 n = 459; 2020, n = 563; N = 1488) from three American universities. Participants were 71.4% female, 67.5% White, and 85.9% first-year students.

Methods

Multivariable regression models and bivariate correlations were used to compare anxiety, depression, well-being, and search for meaning before and during the pandemic, and the relationships between pandemic health-compliance behaviors and mental health.

Results

Anxiety, depression, and well-being did not significantly worsen during compared to before (2019) the pandemic (ps = .329–.837). During the pandemic, more frequent in-person social interactions were correlated with lower anxiety (r = –0.17, p < .001) and depressive symptoms (r=-0.12, p = .008), and higher well-being (r = 0.16, p < .001), but also less handwashing (r = –0.11, p = .016) and face mask-wearing (r = –0.12, p = .008).

Conclusions

We observed little evidence for pandemic impacts on college student mental health. Lower compliance with pandemic health guidelines was associated with better mental health.

Keywords:

• Anxiety
• college students
• COVID-19
• depression
• health tradeoffs
• social interactions
• well-being

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 the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Virginia.

Additional information

Funding

Funding from a National Institute of Health U24 AT011289 (Davidson) were used to support the preparation of this manuscript.