Open AccessThe Influence of COVID-19 on Stress, Substance Use, and Mental Health Among Postsecondary Students
Author(s) -
Zachary R. Patterson,
Robert L. Gabrys,
Rebecca Prowse,
Alfonso Abizaid,
Kim Hellemans,
Robyn J. McQuaid
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
emerging adulthood
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.572
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 2167-6984
pISSN - 2167-6968
DOI - 10.1177/21676968211014080
Subject(s) - mental health , covid-19 , psychology , pandemic , coping (psychology) , population , medical education , set (abstract data type) , futures contract , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , environmental health , disease , business , finance , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , computer science , programming language
Emerging adults, including post-secondary education students, are disproportionately affected by the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The speed with which society moved in attempt to minimize the spread of the virus left many students with uncertainty and concern about their health, mental health, and academic futures. Considering that post-secondary students are a population at risk, it is important to determine how students respond in the face of the pandemic, and what coping mechanisms or supports will result in improved mental health outcomes. This knowledge will be helpful for post-secondary institutions to understand how COVID-19 has influenced the health and well-being of their students, and may facilitate the implementation of strategies to support their students. This narrative review explores evidence on how COVID-19 has impacted students with the overall goal to provide a set of recommendations to post-secondary institutions to help meet the evolving needs of this population.