College Students’ Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Studies have shown increased levels of distress during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, and college students are becoming more recognized as a vulnerable population. This narrative systematic review aims to synthesize the current understanding of mental health, lifestyle, and socioeconomic impacts that the pandemic had on college students in the United States. A search was conducted on PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science. A total of 34 observational studies were included which examined aspects of college students’ health and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A great deal of students was shown to experience a moderate level of stress and subsyndromal depression and anxiety in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several risk and protective factors have been characterized. Students experienced various academic, financial, and housing disruptions. Studies have highlighted the need for institutional support to reduce the adverse psychological impact of the pandemic. There is a need for further large-scale research to assess the scope of COVID-19-related biopsychosocial impact, especially in vulnerable populations such as racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minorities.

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Social networking sites and other media use, acculturation stress, and psychological well-being among East Asian college students in the United States

Computers in Human Behavior ◽

10.1016/j.chb.2014.03.037 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

pp. 138-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Namkee Park ◽

Hayeon Song ◽

Kwan Min Lee

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

College Students ◽

Social Networking ◽

Social Networking Sites ◽

Media Use ◽

East Asian ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Acculturation Stress ◽

Asian College Students

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Attitudes toward Credit and Finances among College Students in Brazil and the United States

Journal of Business Theory and Practice ◽

10.22158/jbtp.v1n1p132 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 132 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jill M. Norvilitis ◽

Wesley Mendes-Da-Silva

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

College Students ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Credit Card ◽

Student Loans ◽

Credit Cards ◽

Well Being ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Delay Of Gratification

Although research on credit card debt in developed countries has identified predictors of debt among college students, it is unknown whether these same predictors apply in emerging markets, such as Brazil. To examine this issue, a total of 1257 college students, 814 from Brazil and 443 from the United States, participated in a study exploring the utility of a theory of planned behavior as a predictor of credit card debtand student loans among college students, as well as perceived financial well-being. Compared to the Brazilian participants, the American sample was more financially self-confident, reported better financial well-being, and was more likely to believe that credit cards are negative. Similar predictors of financial well-being emerged in the samples. Specifically, parenting practices related to money and better self-reported delay of gratification are related to more positive financial attitudes and lower levels of debt. Although the debt to income ratio among card holders was similar, Brazilian students held more credit cards than American students. Greater delay of gratification was related to lower levels of student loans in the United States, but there were no significant predictors of student loans in Brazil.

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Understanding Loan Aversion in Education

AERA Open ◽

10.1177/2332858416683649 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 233285841668364 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Angela Boatman ◽

Brent J. Evans ◽

Adela Soliz

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

College Students ◽

High School ◽

Community College ◽

College Women ◽

Large Scale ◽

College Education ◽

The United States ◽

Quantitative Evidence ◽

Different Populations

Although prior research has suggested that some students may be averse to taking out loans to finance their college education, there is little empirical evidence showing the extent to which loan aversion exists or how it affects different populations of students. This study provides the first large-scale quantitative evidence of levels of loan aversion in the United States. Using survey data collected on more than 6,000 individuals, we examine the frequency of loan aversion in three distinct populations. Depending on the measure, between 20 and 40% of high school seniors exhibit loan aversion with lower rates among community college students and adults not in college. Women are less likely to express loan-averse attitudes than men, and Hispanic respondents are more likely to be loan averse than White respondents.

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Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.21279 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Changwon Son ◽

Sudeep Hegde ◽

Alec Smith ◽

Xiaomei Wang ◽

Farzan Sasangohar

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Higher Education ◽

United States ◽

College Students ◽

Multiple Stressors ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Survey Study ◽

Positive Coping ◽

Negative Impacts

BACKGROUND Student mental health in higher education has been an increasing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus. OBJECTIVE Our study aims to conduct a timely assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college students. METHODS We conducted interview surveys with 195 students at a large public university in the United States to understand the effects of the pandemic on their mental health and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. RESULTS Of the 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating (173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS Due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on higher education. The findings of our study highlight the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of college students.

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Effectiveness of the Fun for Wellness Online Behavioral Intervention to Promote Well-Being Actions in Adults With Obesity or Overweight: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsep.2020-0049 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Seungmin Lee ◽

Adam McMahon ◽

Isaac Prilleltensky ◽

Nicholas D. Myers ◽

Samantha Dietz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Large Scale ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Double Blind ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Parallel Group

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Fun For Wellness (FFW) online intervention to increase well-being actions in adults with obesity in the United States in relatively uncontrolled settings. The FFW intervention is guided by self-efficacy theory. The study design was a large-scale, prospective, double-blind, and parallel-group randomized controlled trial. Data collection occurred at baseline, 30 days after baseline, and 60 days after baseline. Participants (N = 667) who were assigned to the FFW group (nFFW = 331) were provided with 30 days of 24-hr access to FFW. Supportive evidence was provided for the effectiveness of FFW in real-world settings to promote, either directly or indirectly, three dimensions of well-being actions: community, occupational, and psychological. This study shows that theory-based intervention may be effective in promoting well-being actions in adults with obesity in the United States.

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Behavioral Interventions to Increase Condom Use Among College Students in the United States: A Systematic Review

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/1090198119853008 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (5) ◽

pp. 877-888 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Willandra Whiting ◽

Jennifer R. Pharr ◽

Mark P. Buttner ◽

Nancy L. Lough

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

College Students ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Condom Use ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

Public Health Practice ◽

The United States ◽

Behavioral Skills ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Meta Analyses

Background. Traditional undergraduate college students in the United States are in the age range that experiences the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and are vulnerable to contracting STIs. Increasing condom use among college students is a prevention strategy to reduce the spread of STIs. Aim. The purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to identify behavioral interventions that increased condom use behaviors and/or intentions among college students. Method. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in systematically searching, extracting, appraising, and synthesizing the evidence. A quality assessment was also conducted with the tool provided by the Effective Public Health Practice Project. Results. The initial search yielded 715 records. After critical appraisal, seven articles remained for review. Discussion. Four of the interventions were developed using the three constructs of the information, motivation, and behavioral skills model, and all four found significant increases in condom use or condom use intentions. Additionally, interventions that included modules to increase self-efficacy for condom use, taught participants where to get condoms and how to negotiate condom use with partners, or elicited positive associations (feels) toward condoms saw increased condom use or intention to use condoms.

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Harmonizing Biomarker Measurements in Longitudinal Studies of Children’s Health and the Environment

Biomonitoring ◽

10.2478/bimo-2014-0006 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ruth Etzel ◽

Marie-Aline Charles ◽

Michael Dellarco ◽

Katie Gajeski ◽

Karl-Heinz Jöckel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Large Scale ◽

Infant Health ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Child Growth ◽

Children's Health ◽

Children’S Health ◽

Cohort Group ◽

And Migration

AbstractLarge scale studies of environmental influences on children’s health and development are being planned or conducted in many places, including Japan, France, Shanghai (China), the United States, and Germany. The objective of these “next generation” studies is to better understand a broad range of environmental and social factors that influence the health and well-being of children. Some of these studies are designed to enroll tens of thousands of children and follow them for many years to investigate the influence of the environment on child growth, development and health. Environment is broadly defined in these studies and includes investigation of chemical, biological, physical and socioeconomic factors. An international group composed of study teams from Japan, France, Shanghai (China), the United States, and Germany has been meeting since 2011 to exchange information and work towards harmonization of processes that would provide the opportunity to compare methods and develop procedures to conduct combined analyses of results and data pooling procedures. Harmonization of infant health outcomes, biomarkers, environmental measurements, socioeconomic and migration status has been initiated. This manuscript provides an overview of the Environment and Child Health International Birth Cohort Group and its history, describes the progress of work, and discusses the advantages of this international collaborative effort.

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Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/21279 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. e21279 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Changwon Son ◽

Sudeep Hegde ◽

Alec Smith ◽

Xiaomei Wang ◽

Farzan Sasangohar

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Higher Education ◽

United States ◽

College Students ◽

Multiple Stressors ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Survey Study ◽

Positive Coping ◽

Negative Impacts

Background Student mental health in higher education has been an increasing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus. Objective Our study aims to conduct a timely assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college students. Methods We conducted interview surveys with 195 students at a large public university in the United States to understand the effects of the pandemic on their mental health and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Results Of the 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating (173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms. Conclusions Due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on higher education. The findings of our study highlight the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of college students.

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