Experiences, impacts and mental health functioning during a COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown: Data from a diverse New York City sample of college students

Abstract

In March 2020, New York City (NYC) experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which resulted in a 78-day mass confinement of all residents other than essential workers. The aims of the current study were to (1) document the breadth of COVID-19 experiences and their impacts on college students of a minority-serving academic institution in NYC; (2) explore associations between patterns of COVID-19 experiences and psychosocial functioning during the prolonged lockdown, and (3) explore sex and racial/ethnic differences in COVID-19-related experiences and mental health correlates. A total of 911 ethnically and racially diverse students completed an online survey in May 2020. Findings highlight significant impediments to multiple areas of students’ daily life during this period (i.e., home life, work life, social environment, and emotional and physical health) and a vast majority reported heightened symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety. Each of these life disruptions were significantly related to poorer mental health. Moreover, those who reported the loss of a close friend or loved one from COVID-19 (17%) experienced significantly more psychological distress than counterparts with other types of infection-related histories. Nonetheless, the majority (96%) reported at least one positive experience since the pandemic began. Our findings add to a growing understanding of COVID-19 impacts on psychological health and contribute the important perspective of the North American epicenter of the pandemic during the time frame of this investigation. We discuss how the results may inform best practices to support students’ well-being and serve as a benchmark for future studies of student populations facing COVID-19 and its aftermath.

Prevalence of anxiety symptom and depressive symptom among college students during COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis

“…By reading the titles and abstracts, 689 articles were eliminated due to these researches’ population is not about college student group or researches’ purpose is not related to anxiety symptom and depressive symptom or researches were not surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 101 potential original articles were further screened by reading the full text, however, some studies did not report the prevalence of anxiety symptom or depressive symptom, and some other studies did not assess the prevalence through generally accepted scales, and even relevant data were not provided in a few studies, 16 articles ( Xiao et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2020b ; Bourion-Bédès et al., 2020 ; Cao et al., 2020 ; Chang et al., 2020 ; Essadek and Rabeyron, 2020 ; Kamaludin et al., 2020 ; Kaparounaki et al., 2020 ; Karasar and Canli, 2020 ; Lopez-Castro et al., 2020 ; Rogowska et al., 2020 ; Saraswathi et al., 2020 ; Tang et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2020c ; Wang et al., 2020e ; Wathelet et al., 2020 ) were finally included in the meta-analysis ( Fig. 1 ).…”

“…( 2020 ) China CS 87.9 2.4-2.12 1994 70.1 GAD-7 PHQ-9 Lopez Castro Teresa et al. ( 2020 ) America CS 60.1 3.1-3.31 911 69.2 GAD-7 PHQ-9 Essadek Aziz et al. (2020) French CS 13.4 4.27-4.30 8004 67.5 GAD-7 PHQ-9 Kamilah Kamaludin et al.…”

“…Many countries have investigated the prevalence of mental health problems such as anxiety symptom and depressive symptom among college students and influencing factors ( Islam et al., 2020 ; Kecojevic et al., 2020 ; Lopez-Castro et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2020c ; Xiao et al., 2020 ). There was a meta-analysis on the prevalence of anxiety and depression among COVID-19 patients, which showed that the prevalence of this group of people was increased ( Deng et al., 2020 ).…”

Meeting the Mental Health Needs of College Student-Mothers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

“…In response, higher education transitioned from traditional face-to-face activities to virtual/remote work and learning environments. These changes, including the pandemic-related stressors (e.g., personal loss, unemployment, misinformation regarding the COVID-19 and the vaccine, and worries for personal safety), are associated with poor mental health among college students [1,2].…”

“…Although college students are particularly vulnerable to the psychological sequelae of the pandemic, gender disparities exist [1,2]. For example, Lopez-Castro and colleagues [2] assessed the mental health of 909 students from the City University of New York (CUNY) using validated psychological assessment tools. This study found that women had significantly higher scores of depression, anxiety, and stress than men.…”