@Article{info:doi/10.2196/24815,
author="Kleiman, Evan M
and Yeager, April L
and Grove, Jeremy L
and Kellerman, John K
and Kim, Joanne S",
title="Real-time Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study",
journal="JMIR Ment Health",
year="2020",
month="Dec",
day="15",
volume="7",
number="12",
pages="e24815",
keywords="ecological momentary assessment; college students; COVID-19, anxiety; real-time; mental health; impact; student",
abstract="Background: College students' mental health may be disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because of the abrupt shift off campus and subsequent loss of a social network and potential long-term impact on job prospects. Objective: We sought to assess the nature of COVID-19's mental health impact among a sample of undergraduates who were experiencing the pandemic as it occurred in real time. Methods: In total, 140 college students completed smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments of anxiety and optimism related to COVID-19 and other generic mental health variables 6 times daily. Results: Participants completed >23,750 surveys. Overall, >75{\%} of these surveys indicated at least some level of anxiety about COVID-19. On average, the proportion of responses each day at the highest levels of anxiety about COVID-19 was 7 times greater than the proportion of responses at the highest levels of non--COVID-19--specific anxiety. Structural change analyses indicated a significant downward trend in COVID-19 anxiety after the first week of June, but even at the lowest point, >15{\%} of the participants in the sample still reported high levels of COVID-19 anxiety each day. Participants felt more anxious about COVID-19 on days when the number of new cases and deaths due to COVID-19 were higher. When participants felt anxious about COVID-19, they also felt sad, anxious (in general), and had a greater desire to drink and use drugs. Participants felt more optimistic about COVID-19 when they received more support from others and from their university. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the widespread mental health impact that COVID-19 has had on college students. ",
issn="2368-7959",
doi="10.2196/24815",
url="http://mental.jmir.org/2020/12/e24815/",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/24815",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33207308"
}