THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING - Healthy ...

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THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING - Healthy ...
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON
COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING - Healthy ...
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON
                              COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING

The Healthy Minds Network, which runs the Healthy Minds Study (HMS), in collaboration with the
American College Health Association, which runs the National College Health Assessment (ACHA-
NCHA), developed a new set of survey items related to students’ experiences with the COVID-19
pandemic. The new items focused on students’ attitudes, concerns, preventive behaviors, and their
perceived supportiveness of colleges and universities related to COVID-19. These items were fielded
to random samples of college students on participating campuses across the United States between
March and May 2020.

This brief data report presents results from 18,764 students on 14 campuses that participated in the
surveys from late March through May 2020. The report is organized as follows:

   Summary
   Campus and student characteristics (Table 1)
   COVID-19 prevalence and susceptibility (Figures 1-2)
   Students’ concerns related to the pandemic (Figure 3)
   Non-health impacts of COVID-19 (Figures 4-7)
   Hygiene and physical distancing behaviors among students (Figure 8)
   Trusted sources of information (Figure 9)
   Supportiveness of campus response (Figure 10)
   Mental health and substance use pre/post pandemic (Figure 11)

   Notes: Response rates are a key limitation. For HMS, the overall response rate from March-May 2020 was 10.3%,
   significantly lower than in previous semesters. Similarly, for ACHA-NCHA, the overall response rate from March-May
   2020 was 9.3%. We used data for each participating institution on the proportion of male/female students and used these
   to create sample weights that account for the sex distribution in the full campus population. The weighted estimates are
   representative of the full student population in terms of the sex variable available for each institution. We gave the same
   aggregate weight to each institution in the sample to ensure that larger campuses were not overrepresented in the results.

                                                             THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 1
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING - Healthy ...
Summary
– Financial stress, a known predictor of student mental health, has been significantly affected by the pandemic:
   two-thirds of students report their financial situation has become more stressful. Roughly one-third of
   students report that their living situation changed as a result of the pandemic.

– Fifteen percent report a probable case of COVID-19, though less than 1% were confirmed by a test. Sixty
   percent perceive themselves to be susceptible to contracting the virus. Students are concerned about their
   personal safety and security, but even more so about people they care about contracting the virus. Students
   also express high levels of concern about how long the pandemic will last.

– The majority of students report following public health guidelines for handwashing (60%) and physical
   distancing (70%). Eighty-four percent of students report public health agencies are among their most trusted
   sources of information about the pandemic.

– Forty percent of students report witnessing race-based discrimination either in person or online.
– Students report that their campuses have generally been supportive, especially professors.
– Sixty percent of students indicate that the pandemic has made it more difficult to access mental health care.
– Symptoms of mental health conditions remain high in college student populations, both before and after
   the start of the pandemic. Relative to fall 2019, the prevalence of depression increased and substance use
   decreased in spring 2020. In March through May 2020, a higher proportion of students report that their
   mental health negatively impacted their academic performance. While students report lower levels of
   psychological wellbeing post-pandemic relative to Fall 2019, they also reported higher levels of resiliency.

Campus and Student Characteristics
A total of 14 colleges and universities participated in the two studies between March and May 2020: 7 for HMS
and 7 for ACHA-NCHA. The characteristics of these institutions and their students are presented in Table 1
overall and for HMS and ACHA-NCHA separately.

           Table 1a:                       Overall                    HMS                     ACHA-NCHA
      Campus Characteristics           (N=14 campuses)           (N=7 campuses)              (N=7 campuses)
 Institutional size: >20,000                   9                         6                           3
 Institutional size: 10-19,999                 4                         1                           3
 Institutional size: 5-9,999                   0                         0                           0
 Institutional size: 2,500-4,999               0                         0                           0
 Institutional size:
Summary (continued)

             Table 1b:                               Overall                        HMS                            ACHA-NCHA
       Student Characteristics                (N=18,764 students)            (N=12,033 students)                 (N=6731 students)
 Age 18-24                                              68.6%                          69.2%                             67.9%
 Undergraduate                                          70.4%                          66.4%                             74.6%
 Gender identity: female                                52.3%                          51.2%                             52.9%
 Gender identity: male                                  44.9%                          46.8%                             42.7%
 Gender identity: transgender/gender
                                                        2.7%                            2.0%                              3.5%
 nonconforming/self-identified gender
 Race/ethnicity: Black                                  7.9%                            9.3%                              6.5%
 Race/ethnicity: Latinx                                 13.3%                          16.7%                             10.0%
 Race/ethnicity: Asian                                  16.7%                          20.8%                             12.7%
 Race/ethnicity: Middle Eastern/Arab/
                                                        2.2%                            2.8%                              1.7%
 Arab American
 Race/ethnicity: White                                  64.2%                          57.3%                             71.2%
 Race/ethnicity: Other                                  6.2%                            1.4%                              8.8%
 International student                                  10.2%                          11.7%                              9.0%

  Notes: For HMS, “other” race includes American Indian or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and those who
  selected self-identified race/ethnicity. For NCHA, “other” race includes bi/multiracial, Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander, and
  American Indian/Native Alaskan.

COVID-19 Prevalence
Less than 1% of students report having a confirmed case of COVID-19. Among those with a confirmed or
probable case, 5.5% reported their symptoms as severe, 35.1% as moderate, 55.3% as mild, and 4.1% as
asymptomatic.

                       Figure 1. Have you had COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus disease)?
          100
                                                                                                                84.7
           80

           60

           40

           20                                                                        13
                             0.6                         1.7
             0
                   Yes, confirmed by test      Probably (healthcare       Maybe (had symptoms No (no symptoms or other
                                              provider told me I likely consistent with COVID-19, reason to think I have had
                                              had COVID-19, but not but not confirmed by test)                it)
                                                confirmed by test)

                                                                   THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 3
Perceived Susceptibility
Sixty percent of students with no prior symptoms of COVID-19 consider it very likely, likely, or somewhat likely
that they will be infected.

                                   Figure 2. How likely do you think it is that you will
                                                  develop COVID-19?
                                                     2.7
                                                                 8.4

                                                                                                Very likely
                                    40.3
                                                                                                Likely
                                                                                                Somewhat likely
                                                                                                Not at all likely
                                                                        48.6

Concerns about the Future
Sixty-five percent of students report being very or extremely concerned about how long the pandemic will last,
while 64% report being very or extremely concerned about people they care about contracting COVID-19.
Eighty-six percent report concerns about their personal safety and security.

                     Figure 3a. Over the past 2 weeks, on average, how much have you
                                   been concerned with the following?
        100

          80
                                      64.8                                                                           64.4
          60                                                                   52.9
                                                                       42.4
          40                  32                                                                              33.3

          20
                      3.2                                  4.7                                         2.5
           0
                How long the pandemic will last     How many more people wiill               People you care about contracting
                                                        become infected                                 COVID-19

                                       Not at all   Slightly/moderately               Very/extremely

                                                                 THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 4
Concerns about the Future (continued)

                    Figure 3b. Over the past 2 weeks, on average, how much have you
                                  been concerned with the following?
        100

         80

                                                                                             57.4
         60                            53.1

         40                                          33.3
                                                                                                          25.8
                         13.5                                                    16.9
         20

           0
                   Your personal sense of safety and security                 Personally contracting COVID-19

                                       Not at all      Slightly/moderately    Very/extremely

Financial Effects
Sixty-six percent report that the pandemic has resulted in more financial stress.

                           Figure 4. How has your financial situation been affected
                                        by the COVID-19 pandemic?
                 100

                  80

                  60
                                                        39.6
                  40                                                         29.2
                                26.4
                  20
                                                                                                    4.8
                   0
                        A lot more stressful        Somewhat more    No significant change     Less stressful
                                                       stressful

                                                                THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 5
Housing Stability
Thirty-six percent of students report moving to a new living situation as a result of the pandemic.

                                Figure 5. Have you moved to a new living situation as a
                                          result of the COVID-19 pandemic?
                 100

                   80
                                                                                           64.3
                   60

                   40                       35.7

                   20

                    0
                                             Yes                                            No

Mental Health Care
Sixty percent of students indicate that the pandemic has made it more difficult to access mental health care.

                    Figure 6. How has your access to mental health care been affected by
                                         the COVID-19 pandemic?
       100

        80

        60
                                                      36.8                        34.9
        40
                         23.3
        20
                                                                                                                5.1
         0
                 Much more difficult       Somewhat more difficult      No significant change in           Less difficult
                                                                                 access

     Notes: Overall, 58.2% of students indicated that they have not tried to access mental health care. Figure 6 presents data from
     the 41.8% of students who did attempt to seek care.

                                                                 THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 6
Discrimination
Six percent report experiencing race-based discrimination as a result of the pandemic, while 41% report
witnessing race-based discrimination (online or in person).

          Figure 7a. As a result of the pandemic,                    Figure 7b. As a result of the pandemic,
         have you experienced any discriminatory                     have you witnessed any discriminatory
              or hostile behavior due to your                       or hostile behavior or exchanges towards
                      race/ethnicity?                                   others due to their race/ethnicity?
                                 5.5

                                                                                                          41

                                                                                 59

                         94.5
                           Yes    No                                                       Yes   No

Public Health Practices
60 percent of students report very closely following recommended hygiene practices, while 70% report physical
distancing.

              Figure 8. To what extent have you been following recommendations for...
  100

   80
                                                                         69.7
                 60.2
   60

                           36.8
   40
                                                                                        26.9

   20
                                        2.7        0.4                                             2.6           0.8
     0
                         ...hygiene practices?                                  ...social/physical distancing?

                         Very closely         Somewhat closely    Not closely         Not all following

                                                          THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 7
Sources of Information
Eighty-four percent of students report that public health agencies are among their most trusted sources of
information, making this the most trusted source overall. Thirty-six report that campus officials are a most
trusted source.

                Figure 9. What have been your most trusted sources of information regarding
                                 the COVID-19 pandemic (select up to 3)?
 100
           84
  80

  60                         53.2           50.8

  40                                                         35.6             34.4
                                                                                               27.8              26.7              23.4           21.1
  20

   0
       Public health National media       State/local       Campus      Friends/family      Social media       Federal       Local media          Other
         agencies                          officials        officials                                          officials

Supportiveness of Campus
Sixty-nine percent of students report that their campus administration has been supportive during the pandemic,
and 78% perceived their professors as being supportive.

             Figure 10. How supportive have the following groups been for you during
                                   the COVID-19 pandemic?
 100
  80
  60
                      39.6                                  37.5 40.1                                                                                 34.5
  40                          29                                                                               31.9
                                                                                            21.3 24.4                              22.7 22.9
                                                                                                        15.1
  20       9.6 13.1                 8.7          7.7 10.1                             7.3                                    6.9
                                                                                                                                               13.1
                                                                        4.6
   0
            College/university                     Your professors                   Campus mental health                  Campus medical services
             administration                                                               services

                                   Unsupportive         Neutral         Supportive            Very supportive              N/A

                                                                          THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 8
Mental Health and Substance Use Pre-/Post-Pandemic
Symptoms of mental health conditions remain high in college student populations, both before and after the
start of the pandemic. Relative to fall 2019, the prevalence of depression increased and substance use decreased
in spring 2020. In March through May 2020, a higher proportion of students report that their mental health
negatively impacted their academic performance. While students report lower levels of psychological well-being
post-pandemic relative to Fall 2019, they also reported higher levels of resiliency.

             Figure 11a. Mental Health and Substance Use Fall 2019 vs. Spring 2020
                                     (Healthy Minds Study)
100
 80
 60
                40.9                                          38.1 36.6                          38.3
         35.7
 40                                         31    31
                                                                              26.3
                                                                                                                          30.5
                           20.9 17.7                                                 20.9               24.1       21.9
 20
  0
        Depression     Suicidal ideation,   Anxiety          Flourishing   Illicit substance   Binge drinking,   MH impaired
                         past 2 weeks                                      use, past month      past 2 weeks     academics, 6+
                                                                                                                  days in last 4
                                                                                                                     weeks

                                                 Fall 2019     March-May 2020

  Notes: There were 32 campuses in HMS in fall 2019 and 7 campuses in March-May 2020. Depression is a score of >10 on the
  Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which measures the 9 core symptoms of a major depressive episode over the past
  2 weeks. Suicidal ideation over the past 2 weeks is one item from the PHQ-9, defined as having “thoughts that you would be
  better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way.” Anxiety is a score of >10 on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-scale,
  which measures symptoms of generalized anxiety over the past 2 weeks. Flourishing (positive mental health) is a score of >48
  on the Flourishing Scale. MH impaired academics is defined as >6 days in the last 4 weeks when mental or emotional health
  negatively impacted academic performance.

                                                              THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 9
Mental Health and Substance Use Pre-/Post-Pandemic (continued)

              Figure 11b. Mental Health and Substance Use Fall 2019 vs. Spring 2020
                                          (ACHA-NCHA)
100
 80
                                                                       55.9
 60                                     49.5 47                               50.8
                                                       36.5 39
 40       25 27.2                                                                      26.8           27.8 31.1
                         19.2 17.8                                                            19.1                   22.1 24.4
 20
  0
       Suicide risk      Serious    Loneliness        Resilience     Flourishing         Binge       Anxiety       Depression
                      Psychological                                                  drinking, past impaired        impaired
                        Distress                                                        2 weeks     academics      academics

                                                  Fall 2019      March-May 2020

  Notes: Fall 2019 includes 38,679 students on 58 campuses. March-May 2020 includes 8,366 students on 16 campuses.
  Being at increased risk for suicide is a score of 7 or higher on the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire – Revised (SBQ-R).
  Serious psychological distress is a score of 13 or higher on the Kessler-6 (K6.) Screening positive for loneliness is a score
  of 6 or higher on the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Resilience is a score of 7 or higher on the Connor-Davidson Resiliency
  Scale – 2 (CD-RISC2). Flourishing (positive mental health) is a score of >48 on the Diener Flourishing Scale. Academic
  impediments include negatively impacting performance in a class or delaying progress towards a degree and are measured
  within the last 12 months.

                                                          CONTACT
                             The Healthy Minds Network: healthyminds@umich.edu
                                           ACHA-NCHA: mhoban@acha.org

                                                              THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON COLLEGE STUDENT WELL-BEING Page 10
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