First-Year University Students' Mental Health Trajectories Were Disrupted at the Onset of COVID-19, but Disruptions Were Not Linked to Housing and Financial Vulnerabilities: A Registered Report.

Andrea L Howard,Erin T Barker,Kendra D Carnrite

doi:10.1177/21676968211053523

Andrea L Howard, Erin T Barker + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968211053523

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Journal: Emerging adulthood	Publication Date: Nov 1, 2021
Citations: 15	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Carleton University

Abstract

This study modeled disruptions in first-year undergraduates’ trajectories of mental health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, testing whether disruptions were worse for students who moved residences, reported low family income, or were food insecure. Participants (n = 510) at a large Canadian university reported depression, anxiety, and stress in September, November, January, and March. In March 2020, in tandem with COVID-related campus closures, students also reported for each mental health measure whether their responses were influenced by personal experiences surrounding the pandemic. As hypothesized, students who reported feeling more COVID-related disruption reported poorer mental health in March. Contrary to hypotheses, mental health disruptions were not more pronounced for students who moved, had low income, or were food insecure. Survey administration at an early stage of COVID-19 combined with supports afforded by moving in with parents and near-universal government income assistance may have mitigated the incremental distress we hypothesized for vulnerable students.

Highlights

The transition to university is a time of novelty, opportunity, and challenge for increasingly many emerging adults after leaving high school
We drew on data from a four-wave longitudinal study of Canadian undergraduates that began in September 2019 and completed its final follow-up in late March 2020—at the peak of first-wave COVID-19 escalation and shortly after campuses were closed to in-person instruction
The second aim of this study was to test whether COVIDrelated disruptions to first-year students’ trajectories of depression, anxiety, and stress are worse for students for whom living arrangements were disrupted and for students who began their academic year in a position of financial vulnerability

Summary

Introduction

The transition to university is a time of novelty, opportunity, and challenge for increasingly many emerging adults after leaving high school. Half of Canadian youth aged 17–21 were full- or part-time students in a postsecondary setting as of October 2019 (Statistics Canada, 2019), and the U.S Department of Education reports that 69% of high school graduates go on to postsecondary education (2020) In their first year, students face academic expectations and choices that differ vastly compared to high school; they encounter new social contexts, making new friends and leaving others behind; and many students move away from their parents’ home for the first time. Students face academic expectations and choices that differ vastly compared to high school; they encounter new social contexts, making new friends and leaving others behind; and many students move away from their parents’ home for the first time Balancing and navigating this variety of new experiences can be initially overwhelming (Friedlander et al, 2007), and even high-achieving students can find themselves struggling to find their footing during this challenging transition (Schulenberg et al, 2004). At the rates observed in recent years, poor mental health is a significant threat to students’ academic success and long-term well-being

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