College students, mental health, and COVID-19

Due to the proximity to UMD-College Park and clinicians on staff who have a specialty in working with college students, our firm has had the honor of working with and treating numerous college students/young adults.

How are college students and their mental health during COVID-19?

In my experience as a professional clinician and in speaking with several other colleagues, college students’ experiences are varied, but some are experiencing a decline in their mental health. Do not get me wrong, many college students have fared well and are adjusting, but there are some who are having a difficult time managing the many changes. One in five students say their mental health has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic (Kerr, 2020). If you remember a long time ago (to the beginning of the pandemic), these young people’s freedom was literally ripped away from them as many of them, including my own young person, had to leave their dorms, apartments and college lifestyle within 24-72 hours. Some had a longer period, but the point is, things changed for them and changed quickly. With such a quick lifestyle change, many students were upset, stressed, and frustrated due to this change.  What we know about change is that it can be met with resistance, fear, feelings of incompetence, and loss of identity. This is a lot to deal with as a student who has become used to a certain way of life. In one moment, they experienced several losses, such as loss of socialization, loss of college/college-life and like I mentioned before, loss of freedom.

The quick change not only interrupted their lifestyle but interrupted the way they learn.  Many of these students were attending classes in person, looked forward to sitting with their peers in class, and had direct personal access to their professors. During the pandemic, they are forced to look at a screen all day, communicate with others through a chat feature and have to take exams and finals in their bedrooms. If you ask me, this is no fun! Zoom fatigue is real—there are reports that state that being on videoconferencing is taking a toll on the brain and can be physically exhausting (Skylar, 2020).

I will highlight two other groups of college students who people may overlook.

College students who come from abusive families and another who live in the college housing because they are otherwise homeless. This group to me, are ones that we should pay particular attention to. The pandemic has forced some back into abusive households where their trauma is being triggered. Some mental health symptoms that they may experience are stress, anxiety, depression, and fear. For the college students who are homeless, they may experience the above symptoms and additionally must focus on necessities such as food, shelter, and finances.

As pointed out college students may be going through stress, loss/grief, anxiety, and depression over the many changes they have had to encounter over the past year. College students are coping with these changes in both healthy and unhealthy ways.

If you live with or have a college student in your midst, here are some ways to help:

• If you notice any mental health symptoms such as chronic stress, anxiety, or depression, encourage them to seek virtual counseling. Typically they can receive counseling services through their colleges and universities, as well as through your insurance or using your company EAP benefits.

• Encourage them to “hang” with their friends through FaceTime and Zoom calls for ongoing social interaction. Chances are your social college student is already doing this. Encourage your student who may not be as social to connect with others.

• For college students (who you are aware of) who may be in an unsafe home environment or may not have a steady place to live, encourage them to contact their college or university as they may have some options for summer housing or other community housing resources.

• For college students who cope by being social and hanging with a lot of people, I will leave that up to you as to how you deal with this situation. However, just remember we have a responsibility to keep each other safe and to stop the spread.

• Have some family fun such as movie nights and game nights with your college student. Some young adults may not seem interested at first but do it anyways. Family bonding is so important.

• Take quick family day trips and outings (with a mask). The fresh air will do everyone some good!