ERIC Number: EJ1472813
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Transitioning to College during COVID-19: A Brief Report on Incoming Students' Self-Reports of Mental Health from 2020 to 2022
Erin E. McKenney1; Claudia L. Cucchiara1; Katherine O. Gotham1
Journal of American College Health, v73 n4 p1295-1301 2025
Objective: Depression and anxiety have been identified as growing concerns for many populations in the United States, including young adults. We investigated how internalizing symptoms may have changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic among students transitioning to college. Participants: Participants were incoming undergraduates in Fall 2020, 2021, and 2022 at Northeastern Universities (N=263). Methods: Participants completed self-reports of mood, repetitive thinking, and social satisfaction within two weeks of beginning their first college semester. Results: Depression and anxiety symptoms appear to differ by year, such that both have increased over time. These results seem to be co-occurring with an increase in repetitive negative thinking -- a known predictor of depression and anxiety. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that mental health concerns in young adults may be worsening despite the resumption of in-person activities post-initial pandemic onset. This highlights the need to monitor and intervene on mental health in students transitioning to college.
Descriptors: Student Adjustment, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Mental Health, Psychological Patterns, COVID-19, Pandemics, Depression (Psychology), Anxiety, Negative Attitudes, Friendship, Student Satisfaction, Student Characteristics, Students with Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Jersey; New York; New York (New York)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Beck Depression Inventory; Social Responsiveness Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01MH113576
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Psychology, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA