THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING

Complete Report

The Healthy Minds Network, which runs the Healthy Minds Study (HMS), in collaboration with the American College Health Association, which runs the National College Health Assessment (ACHANCHA), developed a new set of survey items related to students’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. The new items focused on students’ attitudes, concerns, preventive behaviors, and their perceived supportiveness of colleges and universities related to COVID-19. These items were fielded to random samples of college students on participating campuses across the United States between March and May 2020.

Summary

– Financial stress, a known predictor of student mental health, has been significantly affected by thepandemic: two-thirds of students report their financial situation has become more stressful. Roughly one-third of students report that their living situation changed as a result of the pandemic.
– Fifteen percent report a probable case of COVID-19, though less than 1% were confirmed by a test. Sixty percent perceive themselves to be susceptible to contracting the virus. Students are concerned about their personal safety and security, but even more so about people they care about contracting the virus. Students also express high levels of concern about how long the pandemic will last
– The majority of students report following public health guidelines for handwashing (60%) and physical distancing (70%). Eighty-four percent of students report public health agencies are among their most trusted sources of information about the pandemic.
– Forty percent of students report witnessing race-based discrimination either in person or online.
– Students report that their campuses have generally been supportive, especially professors.
– Sixty percent of students indicate that the pandemic has made it more difficult to access mental health care.
– Symptoms of mental health conditions remain high in college student populations, both before and after the start of the pandemic. Relative to fall 2019, the prevalence of depression increased and substance use decreased in spring 2020. In March through May 2020, a higher proportion of students report that their mental health negatively impacted their academic performance. While students report lower levels of psychological wellbeing post-pandemic relative to Fall 2019, they also reported higher levels of resiliency.