Symposia
Student Issues
Carrie Masia, Ph.D.
Montclair State University
Millburn, New Jersey
Carrie Masia, Ph.D.
Montclair State University
Millburn, New Jersey
Jazmin Reyes-Portillo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey
Initial research has indicated that college students experienced numerous stressors as a result of the pandemic. The current investigation enrolled the largest and most diverse sample of college students (n = 4714) from universities in New York and New Jersey in Spring 2020. The presentation will describe the impact on college students who were initially most affected and examine racial/ethnic differences. Participants were 76.1% female (mean age = 21.3), with 43.9% White, 22.6% Latinx, 18.4% Asian, or Pacific Islander, and 8.3% Black. Students’ mental health severely deteriorated, and students of color were disproportionately affected by academic, financial, and COVID-related stressors. For example, Black and Latinx students reported significantly less likelihood of completing their Spring college semester. The majority of students reported feeling depressed (74%), more anxious (76%), and hopeless (60%). Predictors of worsening mental health will be reported. This presentation will also discuss longer-term consequences of the pandemic on a subsample of these college students about 6 months and then one year after the Spring 2020 lockdown. We will specifically examine how the pandemic influenced educational pursuits and psychological well-being. Findings will be discussed in light of how universities can protect their most vulnerable students and prevent the pandemic from further increasing racial and ethnic disparities in academic and economic outcomes.