Stress of University Students Before and After Campus Closure in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Learning and Motivation in College During COVID-19 Pandemic From Human Development

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures U.S. universities took in response had a drastic impact on college students’ learning and living environments. We used longitudinal survey data from a public university in Southern California to investigate if students’ stress level linked to coursework, procrastination, and study-life balance increased after the outbreak of COVID-19, the related campus closure, and shift to online classes. Results showed increased stress-levels of students in spring 2020 compared to stress-levels in winter 2020. Students with higher levels of non-specific psychological distress prior to the pandemic, and students with more time-consuming responsibilities besides studying reported an even higher increase in stress. Self-efficacy in self-regulation had a buffering effect on stress increase. Implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Luise von Keyserlingk, Technische Universität Dortmund

• Richard B. Arum, University of California, Irvine

• Jacquelynne S. Eccles, University of California - Irvine