Mental health of international students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relevant political climate: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Park, Chulwoo; Shimada, Shannon

doi:10.1080/07448481.2022.2100996

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…While these burdens have been well-documented in a series of reports and articles, little research has been conducted by and for diverse college students, centering students’ concerns about their experiences during the pandemic. For example, although previous research measured mental health among diverse college students in Israel ( 6 ) and the United States ( 7 ), these studies did not emphasize students engagement in the study design and data collection, or provide an opportunity for students to draw on their experiential knowledge of mental health to generate research questions. Such participatory research has the potential to identify new aspects of wellbeing that have not been previously described, through engaging students to reflect on their experiences in a way that supports meaning-making and purposeful action for improving student wellbeing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A participatory study of college students’ mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Park

Fuller

Echevarria

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted college students’ mental health and wellbeing. Even before the pandemic, young adults reported high mental health morbidity. During the pandemic, young adult college students faced unprecedented challenges, including campus closure and a pivot to fully online education.MethodsThis study employed a novel participatory approach to a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in an introductory epidemiology course to examine factors students considered important regarding their experience during the pandemic. Two groups of undergraduate students enrolled in this course (one in Fall 2020 and another in Spring 2021) and participated in the CURE. A sub-group of these students continued after the class and are authors of this article. Through repeated cross-sectional surveys of college students’ peer groups in northern California in October 2020 and March 2021, this student/faculty collaborative research team evaluated depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and several other topics related to mental health among the students’ young adult community.ResultsThere was a high prevalence of anxiety (38.07% in October 2020 and 40.65% in March 2021), depression (29.85% in October 2020 and 27.57% in March 2021), and suicidal ideation (15.94% in October 2020 and 16.04% in March 2021). In addition, we identified the significant burden of loneliness for college students, with 58.06% of students reporting feeling lonely at least several days in the past two weeks. Strategies that students used to cope with the pandemic included watching shows, listening to music, or playing video games (69.01%), sleeping (56.70%), taking breaks (51.65%), and connecting with friends (52.31%) or family (51.21%). Many reported distressing household experiences: more than a third reporting loss of a job or income (34.27%) in the first year of the pandemic. We explain the participatory research approach and share empirical results of these studies.DiscussionWe found this participatory CURE approach led to novel, experience-based research questions; increased student motivation; real-world benefits such as combatting imposter syndrome and supporting graduate school intentions; integration of teaching, research, and service; and development of stronger student-faculty relationships. We close with recommendations to support student wellbeing and promote student engagement in research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A participatory study of college students’ mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Park

Fuller

Echevarria

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States are more likely to experience systemic racism as a chronic stressor generally, and during the pandemic these factors increased college students’ risk for illness, loss, and financial disruption [ 21 – 23 ]. Other groups marginalized in the United States also experienced amplified risk of mental health related outcomes due to COVID-19 [ 24 , 25 ]. For example, Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) experienced heightened stressors related to anti-Asian rhetoric, hate, and violence, which increased risks for negative mental health outcomes [ 24 – 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

College transition Fall 2020 and 2021: Understanding the relationship of COVID-19 experiences and psychosocial correlates with anxiety and depression

et al. 2023

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Rates of mental health symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression, have increased significantly in college students in the past decade along with utilization of mental health resources. The COVID-19 pandemic created an additional source of stressors to an already challenging landscape of college transition. COVID-19 has been associated with an increase of anxiety among college students, particularly first year students, entering college in Fall 2020. The shifts in policy (e.g., federal, state, and college) accruing medical data, and vaccine availability between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 provide an opportunity to examine the role of COVID-19 experiences in the transition to college for these two first-year student cohorts. This study examined two cohorts of first-year students, Fall 2020 and 2021, to better understand the relationship between COVID-19 experiences, psychosocial correlates, and mental health symptoms. Results suggest that for students in our Fall 2020 cohort COVID-19 experiences played a distinct role in the prediction of mental health symptoms while in Fall 2021 COVID-19 experiences did not uniquely contribute to prediction of mental health symptoms. These findings have implications for mental health interventions for first-year students transitioning to college.

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“…Given the severity of the crisis, the social distance protocol was enforced, and instruction was moved to online learning. Many international students found it challenging to maintain a positive sense of well‐being when studying abroad and away from home, especially during times of crisis (Aucejoa et al, 2020; Park & Shimada, 2022). As a result, my brother Mohammed, an undergraduate international student at a university in California, and I, a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts‐Amherst at the time of this study, decided it would be a healthier and safer decision to return to our family home in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and consider taking our online classes while there.…”

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confidence: 99%

Ethnographic sibling research and language learning during the pandemic: Multimodal engagement in literacy and learning over Zoom

Alghoraibi

Alghoribi

2022

J Adolescent & Adult Lit

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Mental health of international students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relevant political climate: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

A participatory study of college students’ mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

A participatory study of college students’ mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

College transition Fall 2020 and 2021: Understanding the relationship of COVID-19 experiences and psychosocial correlates with anxiety and depression

Ethnographic sibling research and language learning during the pandemic: Multimodal engagement in literacy and learning over Zoom

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