The mental health and well-being of higher-education students is a topic of growing interest. COVID-19 impacted higher education in many ways and the challenges were especially pronounced for minority students. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of Arab minority students in Israel in relation to social, academic, and financial factors. We recruited 420 Arab higher-education students enrolled in academic colleges or universities in Israel who completed a battery of online questionnaires. Mental health status was measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were reported by 49.3%, 45.2%, and 54% of Arab students, respectively. Analyses indicate that low quality of online learning, academic difficulties, and negative economic effects of COVID-19 predicted stress, anxiety, and depression. Women reported higher levels of depression and stress; job loss predicted depression and anxiety; low income predicted depression; and COVID-19-related health concerns predicted anxiety. This study highlights the unique and multiple challenges faced by minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Campus programs are needed to address the emotional needs of students. Longitudinal research is needed to more fully understand the impact of COVID-19 on higher-education students.

This study explores the relationship between online learning academic behavioural confidence (OLABC) and online learning trait anxiety (OLTA) during the COVID-19 crisis. The findings reveal that though students from multiple countries have experienced varied levels of anxiety, such anxiety has correlated positively with their OLABC. The researchers assume that COVID-19's deleterious effects on student online learning confidence have been moderated due to the prevalence of pandemic-related anxiety. Therefore, such anxiety has become passable and tolerated via adaptation and therefore should be viewed as “trait” rather than “state” anxiety. The researchers further believe that the quality of delivery methods is significant in determining the level of academic behavioural confidence, and hence, incessant and guided online teaching may produce a productive, effective, and interactive learning experience and uplift student ABC.