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Abstract
Previous research on college campus environments, student mental health, and COVID-19 has primarily focused on individual-level factors, with limited attention to the broader institutional characteristics. Objective and Methods: Using the national survey data from the American College Health Association, this study examines the influence of both individual-level and institutional-level characteristics on college students’ stress, psychological distress, and psychological well-being, before and during COVID-19. Results: (1) COVID-19 significantly impacted students’ mental health; (2) institutional-level factors, such as school size, locale, region, and religiously affiliation, were significant predictors of mental health outcomes; and (3) individual-level variables, including gender, age, race/ethnicity, relationship status, moderated the relationship between COVID-19 and mental health. Conclusion: This study suggests the need to consider various institutional contexts in future efforts to understand predictors of mental health conditions and resilience.
Disclosure statement
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 United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board at the Texas A&M University.
Ethics approval
The research protocol for data collection from participants was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the Texas A&M University (Reference Number: 156863).