ReviewCureus2024
Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on University Students' Mental Health: A Literature Review.
Review in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of a 7-week minimal guided and unguided cognitive behavioral therapy-based stress-management APP for students.BMC public health · 2025Trial
- Sleep Across the Pandemic in Norwegian University and College Students: A National Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis (2010-2023).Journal of sleep research · 2026Article
- The Association Between Social Support and Suicidal Ideation Among Undergraduate Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026Review
- Mental disorders & self-injurious thoughts and behaviors predict high risk of role impairment among university students - results from the world mental health international college student initiative.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Understanding Structural Health Disparities: Public Health Lessons from Black College Students During COVID-19.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- Mental health and psychological distress in healthcare-related students post-pandemic: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Recovery-phase symptoms after COVID-19 infection and anxiety levels among college students.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- Mental health and help-seeking behavior among at-risk university students in Germany: A descriptive analysis.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- Investigating mental wellbeing self-care in higher education using BERTopic modeling.Discover mental health · 2025Article
- The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Global Crisis: Aspects of University Students' Well-Being During the Quarantine in Greece.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Psychological well-being of medical and dental students in Saudi Arabia post worldwide pandemic: a cross sectional study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Sense of Coherence and Perceived Academic Stress Among Nursing Students: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students: A Literature Review with Emphasis on Vulnerable and Minority Populations.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- "We are way too stressed": Balancing Academic Priorities with Mental Health and Wellness Among Life Science Undergraduates.CBE life sciences education · 2025Article
- Eating disorders and psychiatric comorbidity among first-year university students in Sweden: Prevalence and risk factors.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Depressive Symptoms Among Students of Sultan Qaboos University, Oman: A Cross-sectional Study.Oman medical journal · 2025Article
- Moderating effects of insomnia on the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and depressive symptoms in Chinese college students: focus on gender differences.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Breakdown of COVID effects on students' mental health at the beginning of the pandemic.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- The Relationship Between E-Health Literacy, Health Anxiety, Cyberchondria, and Death Anxiety in University Students That Study in Health Related Department.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This review aims to focus on the effects of COVID-19 on university students' mental health and deepen our understanding of it. The conclusions are based on the review of 32 studies conducted during the pandemic. This review confirms that university students were at high risk for mental health disorders, heightened stress, and increased sleep comorbidities both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. This literature review confirmed a few universal trends, i.e., increased stress, anxiety, and depression, during the pandemic. The rates of insomnia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and suicidal ideation also went up. Overall, female students are at a disadvantage in the development of mental health issues. Male students coped better but may be at higher risk for lethality in suicidal ideation. Students with a history of mental health issues and other comorbidities prior to the pandemic had worse outcomes compared to healthy individuals. The study points to a strong positive correlation between fear and increased rates of stress, anxiety, and insomnia. There is also a positive correlation between declining mental health and online learning. A strong negative correlation was present between physical activity and depressive symptoms. These findings are universal across many countries and regions where the studies occurred.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.