Citation

McKenney EE, Cucchiara CL, Gotham KO. J. Am. Coll. Health 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07448481.2023.2283742

PMID

38015180

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Depression and anxiety have been identified as growing concerns for many populations in the United States, including young adults. We investigated how internalizing symptoms may have changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic among students transitioning to college.Participants: Participants were incoming undergraduates in Fall 2020, 2021, and 2022 at Northeastern Universities (N = 263).

METHODS: Participants completed self-reports of mood, repetitive thinking, and social satisfaction within two weeks of beginning their first college semester.

RESULTS: Depression and anxiety symptoms appear to differ by year, such that both have increased over time. These results seem to be co-occurring with an increase in repetitive negative thinking - a known predictor of depression and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that mental health concerns in young adults may be worsening despite the resumption of in-person activities post-initial pandemic onset. This highlights the need to monitor and intervene on mental health in students transitioning to college.

Language: en

Keywords

COVID-19; depression; Mental Health; anxiety; College transition