The DOI matches its Crossref record; 23 of the 23 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
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 [5, 6].”
From Supporting underrepresented students in health sciences: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach to program evaluation (2024) · cites this paper as [6]
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“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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“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
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“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]
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Research works printed but not linked: 1
- 2020, MAXQDA
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Fruehwirth, J. C., Biswas, S., & Perreira, K. M. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0247999 · Cited by 585
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Suicide behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis of 54 studies
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Metadata
- 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
- 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
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › 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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