“My Entire World Stopped”: College Students’ Psychosocial and Academic Frustrations during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted normalcy for college attending young adults which resulted in a loss of the campus environment and classroom setting. This change in setting may interfere with a student’s personal and academic wellbeing. This study used an online survey to evaluate college students’ academic and psychosocial frustrations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from March–April 2020 at a land-grant university in the Appalachian region. Data were available from 2643 undergraduate and graduate students. There was a 65.8% and 15.7% increase in the number of students who reported their learning and health as fair, poor, or very poor after the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. Qualitative responses were coded and 8 themes and 24 subthemes emerged. College students expressed frustrations regarding technology, classwork, research, family, social, emotional, behavioral, and financial aspects of life. These results can be used by higher education administration, faculty, and staff when planning for online courses. Ensuring that student frustrations and barriers to success are recognized and considered may help prevent students departing from higher education during this time.

Digital Tools Faculty Expected Students to Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021: Problems and Solutions for Future Hybrid and Blended Courses

“…As well, students can encounter difficulties with Wi-Fi connectivity (Mupenzi et al, 2020). In fact, numerous studies have documented negative outcomes of remote learning for post-secondary students (e.g., Hagedorn et al, 2021).…”

COVID-19 Related Experiences Among College Students With and Without Disabilities: Psychosocial Impacts, Supports, and Virtual Learning Environments

“…Findings across the entire sample suggest all students, regardless of their disability status, experienced increased mental health distress at the time of this study. Much of the research regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and college student mental health have had similar findings regarding this topic (Conrad (6,53). Students who have minoritized or marginalized identities, such as race (38,54), gender (53), sexual orientation (53), and disability status (38)(39)(40), are reporting even higher rates of mental health stressors compared to their classmates.…”

“…Between 2007 and 2017, the rates of mental health related diagnoses and treatment of mental health conditions among college students in the United States increased by almost 80 and 60%, respectively (3). Changes brought about by the pandemic intensified these psychosocial concerns as students lost social activity, which was one of their main coping strategies (4) and faced upheaval and uncertainty (5,6). Studies addressing distress among U.S. college students reported, for example, increased or worse depression (7), grief, loneliness, and generalized anxiety (8), stress, and worry (9).…”

Psychological Interventions for Higher Education Students in Europe: A Systematic Literature Review

“…The pandemic has had a great impact on students' lives, mainly due to the closure of universities and the suspension of face-to-face classes [40]. The literature highlights that students quarantined at home have a high prevalence of depressive and traumatic symptoms, as well as higher levels of anxiety and suicidal ideation [41][42][43][44]. Levels of anxiety and depression spiked during the pandemic, especially among economically disadvantaged and under-represented groups [45].…”