ERIC Number: EJ1473155
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Mental Health in Undergraduate Students Several Months into the COVID-19 Pandemic Compared to before the Pandemic
Eric J. Jacobs1; Sable Spiker2; Kimberly B. Newsome1; Melissa L. Danielson1; Sivapriya Bhupalam1,3; Rebecca T. Leeb1
Journal of American College Health, v73 n4 p1426-1435 2025
Objective: To compare mental health indicators among undergraduates in Fall 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and Fall 2020, when many students returned to campus amidst restrictions on in-person contact. Participants: Analyses included 26,881 undergraduate students, aged 18-24, from 70 U.S. institutions. Methods: Students completed the National College Health Assessment-III survey in Fall 2019 or Fall 2020. Results: The prevalences of high stress, loneliness, a low flourishing score, and serious psychological distress increased in 2020 compared to 2019. Serious psychological distress increased substantially in 2020 among students not living with family (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR)=1.36, 95% CI 1.29-1.45) but not among students living with family (aPR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.95-1.26). Conclusions: These results suggest prevalences of several indicators of poor mental health were elevated among U.S. undergraduates several months into the pandemic. The pandemic may have had greater impact on mental health among students not living with family.
Descriptors: Mental Health, Undergraduate Students, COVID-19, Pandemics, Anxiety, Social Isolation, Place of Residence, Resilience (Psychology), Psychological Patterns, Affective Measures
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Connor Davidson Resilience Scale; UCLA Loneliness Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; 2Office of the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; 3Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA