by Laura Oleniacz — January 14, 2021 .
RALEIGH – A study of students at seven public universities across the United States has identified risk factors that may place students at higher risk for negative psychological impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors associated with greater risk of negative impacts include the amount of time students spend on screens each day, their gender, age and other characteristics.
Research has shown many college students faced significant mental health challenges going into the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts say the pandemic has added new stressors. The findings, published in the journal
PLOS ONE, could help experts tailor services to better support students. The observational study was drawn from a survey of more than 2,100 undergraduate and graduate students in the spring of 2020, when the students at all the universities included in the study had shifted to studying remotely.