Undergraduate students and the COVID-19 pandemic: A look-back at first-year constructs of psychological adjustment, implications for clinicians and college administrators.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for college students and for the clinicians and college administrators who work with students. To better understand the challenges, we evaluated the impact of pandemic disruptions on the psychological adjustment of 1,062 undergraduate students during the first academic year of the pandemic (fall semester 2020, spring semester 2021). Adjustment (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB;Ajzen, 1985, 1991) were used as conceptual references for the study. Students completed an online survey with items reflecting their concerns about the pandemic (The Healthy Minds Network [HMN], 2020);items comparing their prepandemic mental status to their current mental status (HMN, 2020);and standardized assessments of anxiety, depression, and personality (APA, n.d.). Comparisons were made between students living (a) on the college campus in a dormitory;(b) off campus within commuting distance to the college;and (c) away from the college in another city, state, or country. Consistent with other peer-reviewed studies, our students showed adjustment challenges and a decline in functional behavior (e.g., Chirikov et al., 2020). Two principal components reflecting adjustment and the TPB were identified: internalized concerns about the pandemic, and externalized responses to the pandemic. Students, regardless of living situation, reported higher levels of internalized psychological distress. Students living on campus showed more externalized adjustment challenges including an increase in alcohol and substance use, and a decline in academic performance. Recommendations focused on reducing risk factors and increasing protective and healthy lifestyle practices at college administration and clinical levels.