“Constant Stress Has Become the New Normal”: Stress and Anxiety Inequalities Among U.S. College Students in the Time of COVID-19

The purpose of this study is to document young adults' perceived stress and anxiety in a diverse sample of college students across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recruited, via Instagram, a sample of full-time college students aged 18–22 from across the U.S. We surveyed them in April...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescent health Vol. 68; no. 2; pp. 270 - 276
Main Authors: Hoyt, Lindsay Till, Cohen, Alison K., Dull, Brandon, Maker Castro, Elena, Yazdani, Neshat
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2021
Elsevier BV
Subjects:
Adolescents
Adult
Adults
Anxiety
Anxiety - psychology
Cisgender
College students
COVID-19
COVID-19 - psychology
Depression - psychology
Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data
Ethnic identity
Ethnicity
Female
Gender identity
Health equity
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality - psychology
Heterosexuality - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Income - statistics & numerical data
Inequality
Infectious diseases
LGBTQ people
Male
Mental health
Pandemics
Qualitative Research
Race
Self concept
Sex Factors
Sexual and Gender Minorities - psychology
Sexual and Gender Minorities - statistics & numerical data
Sexual orientation
Sexuality
Stress
Surveys and Questionnaires
Transgender persons
United States
Universities
Well being
Young Adult
Young adults
United States
United States > US
COVID-19
Health equity
Anxiety
Adolescents
Stress
Mental health
ISSN:1054-139X, 1879-1972, 1879-1972
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The purpose of this study is to document young adults' perceived stress and anxiety in a diverse sample of college students across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recruited, via Instagram, a sample of full-time college students aged 18–22 from across the U.S. We surveyed them in April (baseline; N = 707; mean age = 20.0, SD = 1.3) and July (follow-up) 2020. This study presents overall levels of perceived stress and general anxiety symptoms and inequalities across each of these outcomes by gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and household income. We also explore potential explanations for these health issues by analyzing baseline qualitative data. All students, on average, were suffering from perceived stress and anxiety, with especially high levels in April. We also identified inequalities in college student mental well-being, particularly by gender identity and sexual orientation. Women reported worse well-being compared with men; transgender and gender diverse and sexual minority youths reported worse outcomes than their cisgender, heterosexual peers at both time points. Qualitative data illustrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has generated educational, economic, and environmental stressors that are affecting college students' well-being. As colleges and universities think about how to manage and mitigate the infectious disease dimensions of COVID-19 among their student populations, they must also consider who is most at risk for increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic.
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ISSN:1054-139X
1879-1972
1879-1972
DOI:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.10.030