Abstract
ObjectiveTo better understand the potential ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. university students' mental health and to generate hypotheses as to how universities may best meet students' mental health needs.ParticipantsStudents at a large public university in the United States.MethodsStudents were invited via email to participate in either interviews or focus groups regarding their COVID-19 pandemic experiences, including mental health impacts. Recruitment took place in two waves. Sessions were led by student members of the research team and took place via video conference between December 2020 and June 2021. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed via Zoom and manually edited and de-identified by the research team. Interview data were analyzed deductively and inductively using a modified grounded theory approach.ResultsA total of 40 undergraduate and graduate students took part in the study. Major themes included: (1) Overall impact of the pandemic on mental health; (2) Sources of pandemic stress/mental health impacts; (3) Subsequent coping strategies; and (4) Suggestions for improving university support for student mental health. Subthemes were identified within each major theme. Students reported substantial anxiety and other mental health impacts and felt improvements in communication and access to mental health resources could better support students.ConclusionsThis study provides context for the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic may be continuing to impact mental health in a north-American university setting and identifies suggestions for potential interventions that future studies may test for effectiveness.
Highlights
Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in Wuhan China in late 2019, countries across the globe have episodically imposed mitigation measures such as restrictions on public gatherings, lockdowns, mask mandates, social distance mandates and travel bans, in an effort to stem the rapid spread of the virus [(1– 3); CDCMMWR]
This study aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the various factors that impacted student mental health and ways in which university faculty and administrators might mitigate future negative impacts
Another study looking into the implication of college campus relocation due to COVID19 on student mental health found that mandated relocation led to more “COVID-19 related grief, loneliness and generalized anxiety symptoms.” [28]
Summary
Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in Wuhan China in late 2019, countries across the globe have episodically imposed mitigation measures such as restrictions on public gatherings, lockdowns, mask mandates, social distance mandates and travel bans, in an effort to stem the rapid spread of the virus [(1– 3); CDCMMWR]. These mitigation measures started in full force in mid-March of 2020 in Massachusetts (MA), a state in the northeastern U.S The measures included sending all college and university students home, where many would remain until the Fall semester of 2021. Gubrium and Gubrium described the importance of narrative methods to understand human impacts of an unprecedented global health event [13] yet there have been few narrative studies seeking to better understand university students’ experiences with mental health during the pandemic or perceptions of university response to the pandemic and support for mental health
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