Investigating Mental Health of US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study
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Abstract
Background: Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has generally increased levels of stress and depression among the public. However, the impact on college students in the United States has not been well-documented. Objective: This paper surveys the mental health status and severity of depression and anxiety of college students in a large university system in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was conducted among undergraduate and graduate students recruited from Texas A&M University via email. The survey consisted of two standardized scales—the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the General Anxiety Disorder-7—for depression and anxiety, and additional multiple-choice and open-ended questions regarding stressors and coping mechanisms specific to COVID-19. Results: Among the 2031 participants, 48.14% (n=960) showed a moderate-to-severe level of depression, 38.48% (n=775) showed a moderate-to-severe level of anxiety, and 18.04% (n=366) had suicidal thoughts. A majority of participants (n=1443, 71.26%) indicated that their stress/anxiety levels had increased during the pandemic. Less than half of the participants (n=882, 43.25%) indicated that they were able to cope adequately with the stress related to the current situation. Conclusions: The proportion of respondents showing depression, anxiety, and/or suicidal thoughts is alarming. Respondents reported academic-, health-, and lifestyle-related concerns caused by the pandemic. Given the unexpected length and severity of the outbreak, these concerns need to be further understood and addressed.
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Globally, students have expressed high distress levels, low engagement, and confidence in their academic performance and professional development in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Globally, students have expressed high distress levels, low engagement, and confidence in their academic performance and professional development in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic [5, 6].”
From Supporting underrepresented students in health sciences: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach to program evaluation (2024) · cites this paper as [6]
The Results (COVID-19–Related Stress; page unavailable) report increased stress or anxiety among surveyed US college students. The Discussion (Principal Findings; page unavailable) reports difficulty concentrating and worry about academic performance. The study does not establish these findings globally or report low engagement or confidence in professional development. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe COVID-19 pandemic has a detrimental effect on university students' mental health.
“Indeed research has indicated that the pandemic has a detrimental effect on university students’ mental health (Wang et al., 2020; Copeland et al., 2021; Gadosey et al., 2022; Birmingham et al., 2023).”
From The relationship between tolerance for uncertainty and academic adjustment: the mediating role of students’ psychological flexibility during COVID-19 (2023) · cites this paper as Wang et al., 2020
The review identified 16 studies on college students.
“our findings of five studies on children and 16 studies on college students”
From Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 among Children and College Students: A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [26]
The 16 college student studies included 15 cross-sectional studies and one cohort study.
“Of the 16 studies remaining, 15 were cross sectional studies and one was a cohort study [16, 19–33].”
From Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 among Children and College Students: A Systematic Review (2023) · cites this paper as [26]
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- Authors
- Wang, X., Hegde, S., Son, C., Keller, B., Smith, A., & Sasangohar, F.
- Affiliations
- Texas A&M University (US)
- Houston Methodist (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sasangohar, Farzan
- Venue
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2020-09-17
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- e22817
- ISSN
- 1438-8871 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7505693
- OpenAlex
- W3084167506
- Cited by
- 1,463
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 69 · 2025: 132 · 2024: 247 · 2023: 361 · 2022: 395 · 2021: 251 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 101.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Medical Internet Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, university students, mental health, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, stress, coping strategies, academic stress, health stress, lifestyle stress
- MeSH terms
- Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Pneumonia, Viral, Stress, Psychological, Students, Universities, Coronavirus Infections, Young Adult, Pandemics, Suicidal Ideation
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