Stress, Anxiety, and Sleep Among College and University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Overview

Journal J Am Coll Health

Publisher Routledge

Specialty Health Services

Date 2021 Jul 9

PMID 34242544

Citations 17

Authors

Angela K Ulrich

Kelsie M Full

Bethany Cheng

Katie Gravagna

Dawn Nederhoff

Nicole E Basta

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: We categorized levels of self-reported stress, anxiety, worry, and sleep among US college and university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous online survey between May 7 and June 21, 2020.

Results: Nearly all participants reported worry about the pandemic. Nearly half (95% CI: 43.3-51.3) reported moderate-to-severe anxiety, and 42.0% (95% CI: 38.0-45.9) reported experiencing poor sleep quality. Those with moderate-to-severe anxiety were more likely (OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 2.4-4.7) to report poor sleep quality than those with less anxiety. Moderate or extreme worry about the pandemic was associated with poor sleep quality (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.1).

Conclusions: Our survey found high levels of stress, worry, anxiety, and poor sleep among US college and university students during the early months of the pandemic. Universities should prioritize access to resources for healthy coping to help students manage anxiety and improve sleep quality as the pandemic continues.

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