Background: National, cross-sectional data suggests that over one third of young, post-secondary aged adults are endorsing moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of pandemic-related stressors on university students’ levels of psychological distress, using a large sample of students attending schools across Canada.MethodsThis study analyzed the first data time point of a cross-sectional, repeated measures study of university student stress completed during the 2020-2021 academic year. Participants ( n = 4954) were students attending fourteen universities across Canada. Participants completed an online survey that included questions about demographics, stress, COVID-19 diagnosis history, psychological distress, history of mental illness, and resilience.ResultsParticipants reported the highest mean severity of stress ratings for the following COVID-19 related stressors: the pandemic’s effect on academics ( X̅ = 2.76, SD = 1.06) and uncertainty around how long the pandemic will last ( X̅ = 2.68, SD = 0.95). Average psychological distress score was high in this sample ( X̅ = 28.67, SD= 9.53) with nearly half the sample scoring in the ‘severe distress’ category. Modified log poisson regression models were stratified by high/low resiliency. Within the low resilience stratum, the strongest associations were observed for: COVID-19’s effect on academics (RR= 1.14 [95% CI 1.08, 1.20]);difficulties accessing health care during the pandemic (RR= 1.12 [95% CI 1.07, 1.18]);and loneliness as a result of quarantine/self-isolation (R= 1.11 [95% CI 1.06, 1.16]). Within the high resilience stratum, the strongest associations were observed for: COVID-19’s effect on academics (RR= 1.32 [95% CI 1.25, 1.41]);difficulties accessing healthcare during the pandemic (RR= 1.25 [95% CI 1.18, 1.33]));and uncertainty around how long the pandemic will last (RR= 1.24 [95% CI 1.16, 1.32]). Notably, larger effects were observed for those in the high resilience stratum, contrary to expectations.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that students’ psychological distress has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to effectively support students’ wellbeing throughout the pandemic and beyond, improved understanding of stress related to COVID-19 is needed. Implications of this study and areas for future research are discussed.
A Cross-sectional Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 Related Stressors on Canadian University Students’ Mental Health and Wellbeing (preprint)