Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of upheaval for college students. The objective of this study was to assess the factors associated with the increased levels of mental health burden among a sample of undergraduate college students in Northern New Jersey, the region of the U.S. severely impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods College students (N = 162) enrolled in an introductory core curriculum course completed a cross-sectional survey. The survey collected information on demographics, knowledge levels and sources of COVID-19 information, behavior changes, academic and everyday difficulties, and mental health measurements (depression, anxiety, somatization, and stress). Multivariable regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with mental health outcomes. Results Descriptive findings indicate that students have a fundamental knowledge of COVID-19 transmission and common symptoms. Students tend to use and trust the official sources and have changed their behaviors in accordance with public health recommendations (i.e., increased hand washing, wearing mask). However, students reported a number of academic and everyday difficulties and high levels of mental health distress. High levels of depression were associated with difficulties in focusing on academic work and with employment losses, while higher levels of anxiety were more likely to be reported by students other than freshmen and those who spend more than one hour per day looking for information on COVID-19. Inability to focus on academic work and an elevated concern with COVID-19 were more likely to be associated with higher levels of somatization, while trusting news sources was associated with lower levels of somatization. Those with higher levels of perceived stress were more likely to be females, unable to focus on academic work, and report difficulties in obtaining medications and cleaning supplies. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic is making a significant negative impact on mental health of college students. Proactive efforts to support the mental health and well-being of students are needed.

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The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study.

This study tested a model that links stress, social support, problem-focused coping, and well-being. First, it looks at how high support significantly moderated the association between stress and well-being. Next, the students' problem-focused coping was seen as mediating this moderated association. Finally, a 3-way interaction of stress, social support, and avoidant coping revealed that only frequent use of avoidant coping accelerated the association between stress and well-being in a negative way at both low and high support.

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Managing Stress and Maintaining Well-Being: Social Support, Problem-Focused Coping, and Avoidant Coping

The author examined the conditions (i.e., social support and dysfunctional coping) under which perceived stress predicted psychological well-being in 459 college students. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated a significant 2-way interaction (Perceived Stress × Social Support) and a significant 3-way interaction (Perceived Stress × Social Support × Dysfunctional Coping) predicting well-being. Low social support deteriorated the association between stress and well-being. Only the frequent use of dysfunctional coping exacerbated the association between stress and well-being across high and low social support. Implications for counseling college students are discussed.

Managing Perceived Stress among College Students: The Roles of Social Support and Dysfunctional Coping.

Effects of a brief mindfulness meditation intervention on student stress and heart rate variability.

Many university administrators are concerned that debt loads and other financial concerns are negatively affecting student wellness. This study sought to explore factors related to financial stress among college students through an adaptation model, the Roy Adaptation Model, which is a conceptual framework used in health care applications. Responses from the 2010 Ohio Student Wellness Survey were analyzed using means tests and multivariate logistic regressions. The results show that financial stress is widespread among students – 71% of the sample reported feeling stress from personal finances. The results of the means tests and logistic regressions show that this study successfully identified important financial stressors among college students. Two of the most important financial stressors were not having enough money to participate in the same activities as peers and expecting to have higher amounts of student loan debt at graduation. The results also indicate that students with higher financial self-efficacy and greater financial optimism about the future are significantly less likely to report financial stress. Implications for student life administrators, policymakers, and financial counselors are discussed. Ph.D. Student, Department of Human Sciences, 1787 Neil Avenue, 262 Campbell Hall, Columbus, OH 43210, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S., heckman.59@osu.edu. Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Human Sciences, 1787 Neil Avenue, 262 Campbell Hall, Columbus, OH 43210, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S., lim.852@osu.edu. Associate Professor, Department of Human Sciences, 1787 Neil Avenue, 115F Campbell Hall, Columbus, OH 43210, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U.S., 614-292-4571, montalto.2@osu.edu

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Factors Related to Financial Stress Among College Students

The sources of stress (academics, financial, family, social, and daily hassles) and coping strategies (self-help, approach, accommodation, avoidance, and self-punishment) of 166 college students were examined. The relationship between sex, specific sources of stress, and coping strategies was also investigated. Students completed a stress assessment inventory and a stress coping inventory based on a 5-factor revised COPE model (Zuckerman and Gagne Journal of Research in Personality, 37:169–204, 2003). Results found that college women reported a higher overall level of stress and greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies than college men. College men and women also reported different coping strategies for different stressors; however the use of emotion-focused coping strategies dominated over problem-solving strategies for both men and women. These results have implications for designing stress reduction workshops that build on the existing adaptive emotion-focused strategies of college students.

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Celeste M. Mendoza

Papers

Stress, Sex Differences, and Coping Strategies Among College Students