Considerations for Meeting Students' Mental Health Needs at a U.S. University During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

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.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 among university students and employees in Massachusetts, USA: a qualitative study

“…However, a lack of institutional support may exacerbate stress and mental health challenges among community members. 8,13 Instructors reported the combination of increased family duties and students with additional needs contributed to an unsustainable workload. Similar concerns have been raised in other studies, with employees requesting a continuation of flexible pandemic policies and using the momentum of change to improve other inequitable policies.…”

“…However, a lack of institutional support may exacerbate stress and mental health challenges among community members. 8,13 Instructors reported the combination of increased family duties and students with additional needs contributed to an unsustainable workload.…”

“…Coping strategies for students include peer support, avoiding the news, pursuing hobbies, increased sleep or exercise, and professional mental health care. 3,[7][8][9] Students requested university-sponsored events to help make connections, especially for newer students. [3][4][5][6] In the UK and US, students expressed a need for clearer institutional communication, with individualized messaging and clear rationale for protocols.…”

College Students’ Opinions About Coping Strategies for Mental Health Problems, Suicide Ideation, and Self-Harm During COVID-19

“…The unanticipated and traumatic effects of COVID-19 and quarantining since January 2020 have negatively impacted the mental health of undergraduate college students. Researchers have primarily evaluated social stress and academic stress ( Vidal Bustamante et al, 2022 ), anxiety ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ; Kaur et al, 2022 ; Song et al, 2022 ; Tshering and Dema, 2022 ), anger ( Brooks et al, 2020 ), and depression ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ; Tshering and Dema, 2022 ) in this vulnerable population. In addition, a plethora of other reported outcomes during COVID-19 included loneliness ( Xiang et al, 2020 ; Kaur et al, 2022 ), isolation ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ; Kaur et al, 2022 ), sleep disturbance/difficulty sleeping or insomnia ( Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ; Song et al, 2022 ), fatigue ( Mosleh et al, 2022 ), burnout ( Kaggwa et al, 2021 ), PTSD ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ), future uncertainty ( Miconi et al, 2022 ), witnessing death in relatives ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ), relocation/displacement ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ), alcohol ( Bountress et al, 2022 ), e-cigarette ( Merianos et al, 2022 ), and cannabis use ( Merianos et al, 2022 ; Merrill et al, 2022 ), financial insecurities, loss or stressors of income ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ), unhealthy eating behaviors ( Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ), academic concerns ( Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ; Vidal Bustamante et al, 2022 ), contagion (i.e., fear of contracting the disease; Wheaton et al, 2021 ), mobile phone addiction ( Jiang et al, 2022 ; Peng et al, 2022 ), relationship problems ( Gallegos et al, 2021 ; Herbenick et al, 2022 ), sexual activity problems ( Ellakany et al, 2022 ; Herbenick et al, 2022 ), increased screen time ( Ellakany et al, 2022 ), suicidal behavior ( López Steinmetz et al, 2021 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ; Rahman et al, 2022 ), self-harm ( Kim et al, 2021 <...…”

“…Researchers have primarily evaluated social stress and academic stress ( Vidal Bustamante et al, 2022 ), anxiety ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ; Kaur et al, 2022 ; Song et al, 2022 ; Tshering and Dema, 2022 ), anger ( Brooks et al, 2020 ), and depression ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ; Tshering and Dema, 2022 ) in this vulnerable population. In addition, a plethora of other reported outcomes during COVID-19 included loneliness ( Xiang et al, 2020 ; Kaur et al, 2022 ), isolation ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ; Kaur et al, 2022 ), sleep disturbance/difficulty sleeping or insomnia ( Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ; Song et al, 2022 ), fatigue ( Mosleh et al, 2022 ), burnout ( Kaggwa et al, 2021 ), PTSD ( Brooks et al, 2020 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ), future uncertainty ( Miconi et al, 2022 ), witnessing death in relatives ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ), relocation/displacement ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ), alcohol ( Bountress et al, 2022 ), e-cigarette ( Merianos et al, 2022 ), and cannabis use ( Merianos et al, 2022 ; Merrill et al, 2022 ), financial insecurities, loss or stressors of income ( Hasratian et al, 2021 ), unhealthy eating behaviors ( Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ), academic concerns ( Kochuvilayil et al, 2021 ; Vidal Bustamante et al, 2022 ), contagion (i.e., fear of contracting the disease; Wheaton et al, 2021 ), mobile phone addiction ( Jiang et al, 2022 ; Peng et al, 2022 ), relationship problems ( Gallegos et al, 2021 ; Herbenick et al, 2022 ), sexual activity problems ( Ellakany et al, 2022 ; Herbenick et al, 2022 ), increased screen time ( Ellakany et al, 2022 ), suicidal behavior ( López Steinmetz et al, 2021 ; Bountress et al, 2022 ; Rahman et al, 2022 ), self-harm ( Kim et al, 2021 ), and fear of death ( Xiang et al, 2020 ).…”