Abstract
Background
Already a population who are susceptible to poor mental health, university students have encountered additional stressors and challenges as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and are considered to be an at-risk population. Early research revealed that university students were struggling to cope with the stress and demands of the pandemic, exhibiting increased anxiety and depression, even early into the pandemic. However, current literature is limited in its theoretical and methodological approach. A more comprehensive and meaningful picture of university student’s mental health is necessary, that captures a broader picture of how university students have coped at different stages of the pandemic. The aim of this research is to understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health and education of university students.
Methods
This research was underpinned by third-wave positive psychology, the “two continua” model and the salutogenic approach to offer a more comprehensive picture of university students mental health and learning experiences throughout Covid-19. This research adopted a mixed-methods design including four distinct studies, including a cross-national comparison (n=2006) of mental health between students from the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain at the early stages of the pandemic. A one-year longitudinal study of n=554 university students in the UK was conducted, collecting data at four time points throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, between May 2020 and May 2021. Data was collected through an online survey, using four standardised measures of psychological distress (CORE-10), generalised anxiety (GAD-7), flourishing (PERMA-Profiler) and personal well-being (ONS-4). Finally, a qualitative study of n=19 university students in the UK was carried out, using semi-structured interviews to explore learning experiences and educational impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Findings
Study 1 revealed several significant geographic differences in terms of students’ mental health and attitudes towards Covid-19 between students from the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Findings from the longitudinal research (Study 2 and 3) revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a significant, negative impact on the mental health of students. Over the course of the pandemic, psychological distress increased, flourishing decreased, and generalised anxiety decreased overall, but fluctuated at different points in relation to the different phases of the pandemic. Findings from a qualitative study (Study 4), revealed seven themes: (1) A lack of engagement with online learning; (2) A lack of practical learning opportunities; (3) Changes to exams; (4) Changes to academic support; (5) Limited socialisation and relationships with peers; (6) Implications for health and well-being; (7) Uncertainty and Impacts for the future.
Conclusion
Students are suffering from prolonged and exceedingly high levels of psychological distress and anxiety, and levels of flourishing and personal well-being in students are still worryingly low. More needs to be done to protect the mental health of university students. Positivity during the Covid-19 pandemic was seemingly related to less severe mental distress, warranting further investigation. Harnessing flourishing mental health, through the use of Positive Psychology Interventions (PPI), and encouraging healthy coping strategies to rely on in times of need could prove to be beneficial, particularly when mental health issues are expected to persist beyond Covid-19. There were severe educational impacts faced by students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Digitised learning will continue to grow and become more mainstream among higher education degree courses. New educational tools must be developed and properly embedded in order to cater for this transition towards blended learning, tackling obstacles related to accessibility, inclusion and engagement.