Psychosocial adjustment of U.S. college students in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. 71; no. 4; pp. 1281 - 1292
• Main Authors: Okado, Yuko, Scaramella, Courtney, Nguyen, Ha M., Mendoza, Benjamin, Watarastaporn, Tanya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 04.05.2023; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Academic staff; Adjustment; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; College; College Students; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Depression (Psychology); Employment; Higher education; Humans; Mental depression; mental health; Mental health services; Pandemics; Perceived social support; Psychological distress; Psychological Patterns; Psychosocial factors; Psychosocial functioning; Quantitative analysis; Self report; Social isolation; Social support; Somatization; Stress; Stress Variables; Students; Unemployment; Universities; COVID-19; College; stress; mental health
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1926268

Objective: Examine the psychosocial adjustment of U.S. college and university students during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Higher education students in the U.S. (N = 228), recruited between March 2020 and May 2020. Methods: Participants completed self-report measures regarding their psychosocial functioning online. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to explore participants' psychosocial adjustment. Results: Participants reported increased concerns about such stressors as academics, job loss, health, and social isolation. They reported significantly elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and somatization, and prior history of psychological counseling was associated with greater levels of distress. Approximately one-third of participants reported inadequate perceived social support, which in turn was linked to psychosocial adjustment. Conclusions: College students reported experiencing a wide range of stressors related to the pandemic. Increasing access to mental health services and providing supportive services in such areas as social connection and employment are encouraged.