Purpose

Social isolation, anxiety, and depression have significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic among college students. We examine a key protective factor—students’ sense of belonging with their college—to understand (1) how belongingness varies overall and for key sociodemographic groups (first-generation, underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students, first-year students) amidst COVID-19 and (2) if feelings of belonging buffer students from adverse mental health in college.

Methods

Longitudinal models and regression analysis was assessed using data from a longitudinal study of college students (N = 1,004) spanning (T1; Fall 2019) and amidst COVID-19 (T2; Spring 2020).

Results

Despite reporting high levels of belonging pre- and post-COVID, consistent with past research, underrepresented racial/ethnic minority/first-generation students reported relatively lower sense of belonging compared to peers. Feelings of belonging buffered depressive symptoms and to a lesser extent anxiety amidst COVID among all students.

Conclusions

College students’ sense of belonging continues to be an important predictor of mental health even amidst the pandemic, conveying the importance of an inclusive climate.

中文翻译：

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大学生在 COVID-19 大流行中的归属感和心理健康

目的

在 COVID-19 大流行期间，大学生的社会孤立、焦虑和抑郁显着增加。我们研究了一个关键的保护因素——学生对大学的归属感——以了解 (1 ) 在 COVID- 19 和 (2) 如果归属感缓冲学生在大学期间的不良心理健康。

方法

纵向模型和回归分析使用跨越（T1；2019 年秋季）和 COVID-19（T2；2020 年春季）的大学生（N = 1,004）纵向研究的数据进行评估。

结果

尽管与过去的研究一致，尽管在 COVID 前后报告了高水平的归属感，但与同龄人相比，代表性不足的种族/少数族裔/第一代学生报告的归属感相对较低。归属感缓解了所有学生的抑郁症状，并在较小程度上缓解了 COVID 中的焦虑。

结论

即使在大流行期间，大学生的归属感仍然是心理健康的重要预测因素，传达了包容性氛围的重要性。