ArticlePsychiatry research2021
Initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college student mental health: A longitudinal examination of risk and protective factors.
Article in Psychiatry research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 52 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies comparing mental health before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.Journal of affective disorders · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence of Anxiety in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns: a review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies and natural experiments.Psychological medicine · 2021Pooled it
- The MAPme Project: Implementing a College-Based Study of Substance Use and Mental Wellness.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- A Multi-site, longitudinal investigation of emerging adult mental health across multiple stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Examining associations of mindfulness with early-life trauma and risky health behaviors using a network analysis approach in a sample of U.S. college students.Journal of contextual behavioral science · 2025Article
- The association between bedtime smartphone use and anxiety symptoms: a network analysis of Chinese residents.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol use disorder symptoms: Testing interactions with polygenic risk.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2025Article
- Mental Health Symptoms Among US College Students Before, Early, and Late Into the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2025Article
- Predictors, patterns, and correlates of moderate-severe psychological distress among New York City College Students during Waves 2-4 of COVID-19.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- From psychological wellbeing to distress: the role of psychological counseling interventions in university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The relationship between fear of negative evaluation, physical activity, eating behavior and psychological distress among nursing students.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Article
- Sociodemographic, economic, and academic factors linked with resilience in university students during covid-19 pandemic: a Brazilian cross-sectional study.BMC psychology · 2024Article
- A Prospective Examination of Mental Health Trajectories of Disaster-Exposed Young Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on school attendance in South Africa. Analysis of sociodemographic characteristics of learners.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Article
- The impact of perceived life stress and online social support on university students' mental health during the post-COVID era in Northwestern China: gender-specific analysis.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students' psychological distress, well-being, and utilization of mental health services in the United States: populations at greatest risk.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- The Chinese version of the general benefit finding scale (GBFS): Psychometric properties in a sample of college students.PloS one · 2024Article
- Depression, anxiety, and help-seeking among Slovenian postsecondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The spread of the novel coronavirus has led to unprecedented changes in daily living. College students (N = 205) completed a battery of questionnaires in April of 2020, after having completed similar measures 8, 5, and 2 months prior as part of a larger study. A repeated measures ANOVA suggested significantly greater depression and anxiety symptom severity during the pandemic than any other time during the 2019-2020 academic year. Two-thirds reported a level of distress above clinical cutoffs on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Pre-existing depression and anxiety symptom severity was associated with greater psychological distress during the pandemic. One quarter of students reported using substances to cope with the pandemic. Static and modifiable factors associated with psychological distress and controlling for pre-existing psychological distress were examined. Cognitive and behavioral avoidance, online social engagement, and problematic Internet use were associated with greater risk. Women and Latinx participants were more likely to experience elevated distress during the pandemic, even when controlling for distress prior to the pandemic.
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