Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Educational Psychology

Advisor

Colette Daiute

Committee Members

David Rindskopf

Alpana Bhattacharya

Rebecca Trenz

Kimberly Rapoza

Subject Categories

Educational Psychology | Higher Education | Mental and Social Health

Keywords

Non-Traditional College Students, Traditional College Students, Depression, Anxiety, COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and societal changes in response to the pandemic have contributed to increasing the prevalence of mental health issues among college students globally. Because of their additional responsibilities, the prevalence of mental issues among the subpopulation of Nontraditional College Students (NTCS) is even more concerning. NTCS possess at least one of the following characteristics (e.g., working full-time, part-time employment, having financial dependents, etc.) that differentiates them from typical college students who enter higher education right after high school. Prior research has shown that NTCS generally experience more life stressors and challenges associated with mental health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stress) than their traditional counterparts. However, there is a lack of research examining the associations between COVID-19-related experiences and mental health indicators among NTCS specifically. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in mental health indicators (i.e., depression and anxiety) between traditional and nontraditional college subjects across the years 2017 – 2022. In addition, the study also examined the association between COVID-19-related experiences and mental health indicators among traditional and nontraditional college students.

Study data are derived from five Healthy Minds Study (HMS) cohorts collected from 2017 – 2022. This study drew on data from demographic and general questions from the HMS survey and psychometric scales utilized in the survey, including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) instrument. The final sample for this study consisted of 270,280 undergraduate college students. Analyzed study variables include demographic variables, COVID-19-related experiences and perceptions, and mental health indicator levels (i.e., depression and anxiety). Linear regression and ANOVA models were used to answer the study's research question.

The study results show that the associations between COVID-19 dimensions and mental health indicators vary statistically based on some of the NTCS characteristics, including overall NTCS status, having financial dependents, and being a single parent. In addition, the difference in mental health indicators based on NTCS characteristics statistically vary from the pre-COVID pandemic survey to the survey during and after the COVID pandemic. The differences based on all the NTCS characteristics were narrower than before the pandemic. However, these findings were shown to have very small effect sizes, so this comparison requires further inquiry. That said, the study findings add evidence of mental health disparities among NTCS and TCS during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the study also adds evidence of how specific external stressors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are associated with mental health disparities among both NTCS and TCS.

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