Undergraduates’ Mental Health During the Pandemic: New Insights into Links with Financial Hardships, Academic Obstacles, and Support

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has looming negative impacts on mental health of undergraduate students at research universities. According to the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey of 31,048 undergraduate students conducted in May-July 2020 at nine public research universities, 35% of undergraduates screened positive for major depressive disorder and 39% screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder. We previously reported about the demographic disparities in students’ mental health disorders during the pandemic. In this brief, we highlight other factors during the pandemic that may compromise students’ mental health. Students who experienced financial hardships, including unexpected increases in spending for technology or living expenses, the loss or wages from on-campus or off-campus employment, the loss or cancellation of an expected job or internship, and food and housing insecurity had significantly higher rates of screening positive for symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder compared to students who did not experience financial hardships. Furthermore, students who experienced academic obstacles in the transition to online instruction had significantly higher rates of screening positive for symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder compared to their peers who did not experience those academic obstacles. Students who felt more supported by their institutions during the pandemic had lower rates of screening positive for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder compared to their peers who did not feel supported by their institutions.