COVID-19 dimensions are related to depression and anxiety among US college students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Survey 2020

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about tremendous social and economic turmoil, which has been associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety. Methods We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (Fall Semester Cohort 2020), a non-probability sample of students across multiple colleges who completed an online survey between September – December 2020. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the associations between COVID-19 dimensions (concern, racial/ethnic discrimination, financial distress, infection, illness of loved one, death of loved one, caregiving) and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety), adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and international student status. Results Nearly a fifth of the sample reported moderately severe or severe depression, and nearly a third reported moderately severe or severe anxiety over the past two weeks. When accounting for all COVID-19 dimensions in the same model, COVID-19 concern, racial/ethnic discrimination, financial distress, and infection were significantly associated with moderately severe or severe depression; COVID-19 concern, financial distress, and infection were significantly associated with moderately severe or severe anxiety. Conclusions This study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic may have shaped mental health through a range of potential social and environmental dimensions. Interventions are required that consider multiple dimensions of COVID-19 to improve mental health during and after the pandemic.

Student experiences of the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from first‐generation/lower‐income students and others

“…Moreover, they could not expect their families to understand the particular pressures associated with being college students. Research already suggests a link between financial distress as a result of COVID‐19 challenges and increased anxiety and depression among US college students (Oh, et al., 2021). However, this line of research has yet to consider the role of student social class on the amount of concern for their finances and thus on their levels of anxiety and depression despite research that shows first‐generation college students (who likely come from lower‐income backgrounds or parents with less stable jobs) report fewer protective mental health factors than nonfirst‐generation college students (Jeong et al., 2021).…”

The Persian COVID‐19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C‐19ASS): Psychometric properties in a general community sample of Iranians

“…From the beginning of the COVID‐19 outbreak, people have experienced elevated psychological distress in their everyday lives (e.g., Akbari, Seydavi, et al, 2021 ; Brailovskaia et al, 2021 ; Cao et al, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2021 ; Duong, 2021 ; Kontoangelos et al, 2020 ; Lee, 2020 ; Mansueto et al, 2021 ; Shevlin et al, 2020 ) including depression and anxiety (Huang & Zhao, 2020 ; Oh et al, 2021 ; Wierenga et al, in press ), obsessive–compulsive symptoms (Abba‐Aji et al, 2020 ; Seçer & Ulaş, 2020 ; Wheaton et al, 2021 ), substance use (Akbari et al, 2020 ; Czeisler et al, 2020 ), post‐traumatic stress symptoms (Akbari, Hosseini, et al, 2021 ; Johnson et al, 2020 ; Liu et al, 2020 ), suicidal ideation (Czeisler et al, 2020 ), health anxiety (Akbari, Spada, et al, 2021 ; Özdin & Özdin, 2020 ), psychological distress (Wang et al, 2020 ; Wu et al, 2020 ), hopelessness (Hacimusalar et al, 2020 ), loneliness and fatigue (Hou et al, 2020 ; Mansueto et al, 2021 ), loss and grief (Wallace et al, 2020 ; Zhai & Du, 2020 ), sleep problems (Duong, 2021 ; Jahrami et al, 2021 ) and reduced life satisfaction (Duong, 2021 ).…”

Stress and depression in undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Nursing students compared to undergraduate students in non-nursing majors

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this alarming mental health trend. Eighty percent of college students report that pandemic-related closures of college campuses have negatively impacted their mental health ( Active Minds, 2020 ; López-Castro et al, 2021 ; Oh et al, 2021 ). Recent authors have identified dramatic increases in alcohol use among college students as a coping mechanism during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Bonar et al, 2021 ; Buckner et al, 2021 ; Coakley et al, 2021 ; Jackson et al, 2021 ).…”