Changes in College Student Anxiety and Depression From Pre- to During-COVID-19: Perceived Stress, Academic Challenges, Loneliness, and Positive Perceptions

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major stressor that has negatively impacted global mental health. Many U.S. college students faced an abrupt transition to remote learning in March 2020 that significantly disrupted their routines, likely causing changes in mental health. The current study examined changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms among 990 college students, from before COVID-19 had reached U.S. community spread to 5 months into the pandemic. Results indicate overall increases in anxiety and depressive symptoms; this effect was amplified as more COVID-related challenges with academic impact and loneliness were reported. Increases in anxiety and depression were buffered as a function of greater perceived positive changes attributed to COVID-19; the differences in anxiety and depressive symptoms over time were also lessened when greater perceived stress prior to COVID-19 was reported. Findings reveal an unexpected effect involving pre-pandemic stress, and highlight potential targets to promote resilience, which should be examined long-term.

Changes in Canadian Adolescent Well-Being since the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Prior Child Maltreatment

“…Our results indicate that higher levels of COVID-19-related distress acted as a moderator of changes observed between the pre-pandemic and intra-pandemic periods, including increases in internalized and externalized behaviors and decreases in self-esteem and life satisfaction. These results agree with those of studies conducted in the beginning of the pandemic involving a smaller sample of adolescents [ 6 ] and college students [ 49 ], which reported the moderating role of stress related to the pandemic in increasing depressive symptoms and anxiety and decreasing life satisfaction.…”

Depressive and anxious symptoms among young adults in the COVID‐19 pandemic: Results from monitoring the future

“…Ultimately, this resulted in three groups each for analyses of depressive and anxious symptoms: those without high symptoms, those with high symptoms more than somewhat attributed to the pandemic, and those with high symptoms not attributed to the pandemic more than somewhat. While some prior studies have implemented items examining attribution of life changes and mental health to the pandemic among young adults, (Haikalis et al, 2021 ; Jardon & Choi, 2022 ) these have typically used a single item rather than a more comprehensive index relating to the attribution of specific symptoms to the pandemic.…”

Music to decrease anxiety in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Several factors were associated with increased anxiety during the pandemic. These factors included being a female, spending quarantine alone, living in rural areas, experiencing financial difficulties, working full-time, facing reduced sleep quality, having limited physical activity, and transitioning to online learning ( Haikalis et al, 2022 , Jehi et al, 2022 ; Lee et al, 2021; Wang et al, 2020 ). On the other hand, protective factors limited the negative impact of those stressors.…”

“…On the other hand, protective factors limited the negative impact of those stressors. Those factors included experiencing positive changes during the pandemic (such as increased schedule flexibility, reduced schoolwork, and reduced external obligations), being able to find positive aspects of the crisis and being grateful for them (i.e., cognitive restructuring), and intentionally using extra-curricular activities for well-being ( Finnerty et al, 2021 , Haikalis et al, 2022 , Wang et al, 2020 ).…”