-
Title
-
COVID-19 Pandemic: ECU Student Success and Coping
-
Description
-
Presentation of Dr. Christyn Dolbier's research lab's findings from assessment of ECU student stress and coping during the pandemic.
-
Creator
-
Dolbier, Christyn
-
Date
-
2020
-
extracted text
-
COVID-19 Pandemic: ECU Student Stress & Coping
Christyn Dolbier, PhD
Department of Psychology, East Carolina University
Presentation purpose
• Purpose: To share findings from a survey study of college students at
ECU during the COVID-19 pandemic about:
• pandemic-specific appraisals and stressors
• responses to pandemic-specific open-ended questions about
what is most stressful, main ways of coping, what is most helpful,
and any positive changes
• how general stress, college stressors, coping strategies, and
psychological symptoms during the pandemic compare to prior
to the pandemic
Transactional Model
of Stress & Coping
(Lazarus & Folkman, 1984)
• Perceived stress leads to
negative emotional,
physiological, and behavioral
responses
• Pathways through which
perception of stress increases
risk of physical disease and
psychiatric illness
Project background
• Designed to assess ECU undergraduate student stress and coping
annually
• First survey administration Fall 2019 toward the end of the semester
(before pandemic)
• Second survey administration Spring 2020 after spring break until
end of semester (during pandemic) included:
• Original stress and coping survey
• Pandemic-specific stress and coping items
Participant recruitment & demographics
• Fall 2019 (N=720): PSYC 1000 classes (research credit)
•
•
•
•
Age: M = 18.45, SD = 1.00
Gender: 65% female, 35% male
Race: 70% White, 14% African American, 9% Hispanic
Student level: 86% freshmen, 11% sophomores, 3% juniors, <1% seniors
• Spring 2020 (N=727): psychology classes (research and extra credit)
•
•
•
•
Age: M = 20.66, SD = 4.01
Gender: 76% female, 24% male
Race: 67% White, 19% African American, 10% Hispanic
Student level: 29% freshmen, 26% sophomores, 23% juniors, 22% seniors
Online survey measures
• Fall 2019 survey
• Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen & Williamson, 1988)
• College Student Stress Questionnaire (CSSQ; scale development in progress, items drawn
from other college student stress scales and literature)
• Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced Scale (B-COPE; Carver, 1997)
• Other coping strategy items drawn from other coping scales and literature
• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; Kroenke et al., 2001)
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2007)
• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI; Buysse et al., 1989)
• Spring 2020 survey
Fall 2019 survey measures
Pandemic appraisals (Folkman et al., 1986; Peacock & Wong, 1990)
Pandemic-specific stressors (team developed items)
Pandemic-specific open-ended items: most stressful, ways coped, most helpful, positive
changes
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM 5 (PCL-5; Weathers et al., 2013)
•
•
•
•
Pandemic-specific appraisals
• Students appraise the pandemic as relevant and threatening to them (primary
appraisal), and a situation in which they and others do not have control, and
that they cannot change or actively do something about (secondary appraisal)
• Based on transactional model of stress and coping, students perceive the
pandemic to be more than moderately stressful.
Appraisal
Primary: Central/relevant situation
Mean
(1=not at all to 5=very much)
3.81
Primary: Threatening situation
3.81
Primary: Harm/loss potential of situation
2.90
Primary: Lack of benefit/gain from situation
2.75
Secondary: Lack of self-control of situation
3.51
Secondary: Lack of other-control of situation
3.35
Secondary: Unable to actively cope with situation
3.20
Secondary: Uncontrollable situation
2.82
Pandemic-specific stressors
• Students most frequently experienced stressors related to interrupted leisure
activities, social isolation, and school/work adjustment (>67%)
• Students rated stressors related to job/finances, technology, and school/work
adjustment as most stressful (more than a moderate degree)
% experienced
Mean stressfulness
(1=none to 5=a great deal)
Job and financial concerns
40.3
3.45
Technology concerns
22.0
3.26
Adjusting to school and work
68.1
3.18
Essential resources concerns
29.8
3.15
Different living arrangement
23.3
3.03
Social isolation
69.9
3.03
COVID info, health, and safety
37.5
3.02
Interrupted leisure activities
74.4
2.96
Factor
Most stressful about pandemic (open-ended item)
Theme
%
Social/leisure activity modification (e.g., postponements of key events, inability
to go certain places)
53.7
Largescale pandemic concerns (e.g., impact on economy, death toll)
40.3
Academics (e.g., keeping up with course work, navigating online
format/requirements)
37.4
Concern about loved one (e.g., family, romantic partner) health, exposure to virus,
financial and employment security, and access to resources
32.3
Uncertainty about future (e.g., what education or future will look like, how
economy will bounce back from this, how long pandemic will go on for)
25.1
Social stressors (e.g., extended time with family have strained relationships with)
23.6
Personal finances/employment (e.g., job security concern, layoffs, fewer
opportunities for work, how will pay bills given no income)
22.9
Personal health/virus exposure
9.7
Access to resources (e.g., household supplies, PPE/masks, medical care)
8.8
Precautionary restrictions (e.g., social distancing, quarantine)
6.9
Main ways coping with pandemic (open-ended item)
Theme
%
Social connection (e.g., spending time with family/friends, calling loved ones)
41.4
Health-promoting behaviors (e.g., eating healthier, working out)
35.5
Leisure activities (e.g., hobbies, playing board games)
24.3
Media consumption (e.g., TV/Netflix, videogames, music)
23.9
Academics/work (e.g., studying, doing homework, focusing on work)
18.8
COVID precautions (e.g., social distancing, wearing masks, handwashing)
18.6
Positive cognitive strategies (e.g., staying positive, focusing on what can control)
13.0
Sleeping (e.g., sleeping too much, sleeping out of boredom)
12.3
Time management (e.g., making a schedule, sticking to a routine)
9.3
Appetitive behavior (e.g., excessive/unhealthy eating, using marijuana)
8.9
Creativity (e.g., painting, writing)
7.5
Household tasks (e.g., cooking, yardwork)
7.5
Religion (e.g., prayer, faith in God)
7.3
Most helpful in adjusting to pandemic (open-ended item)
Theme
%
Social interaction (e.g., spending time with family/friends)
43.1
Increased time to pursue activities of interest (e.g., hobbies, exercise, pets)
33.6
Nothing has been helpful
18.2
ECU support (e.g., updates, accommodations, support from professors)
15.4
Basic resources (e.g., cleaning supplies, food, shelter)
15.4
Media for entertainment or information (e.g., TV/Netflix, YouTube, news)
15.3
Social support (e.g., getting emotional support or assistance)
14.1
Nothing is helpful
13.6
Media for social interaction (e.g., Facetime with friends)
11.8
Routine or schedule (e.g., having a routine or schedule)
11.4
Media for communication (e.g., Facetime, phone)
10.0
Classes (e.g., having classes online, having classwork to focus on)
9.9
Stance toward pandemic (e.g., knowing it will end, acceptance)
8.2
Work (e.g., being able to work)
7.1
Protective measures (e.g., staying home, wearing a mask)
6.5
Religion/faith (e.g., having faith in God, prayer)
6.2
Positive changes from pandemic (open-ended item)
Theme
%
Enhanced relationships (e.g., family, romantic/relationship, friends)
34.7
More time for enjoyable activities (e.g., hobbies, time with pets)
21.0
Increased health behaviors (e.g., exercise, eating healthier)
20.3
Fewer demands (e.g., fewer academic, work or household
responsibilities)
11.3
Personal development (e.g., self-reflection, better time management)
10.6
Nothing positive resulting
10.3
Financial improvement (e.g., increased hours at job, someone else buying
food, gas prices dropping/less commuting)
9.6
Change in perspective (e.g., focusing on values, gratitude)
7.9
Enhanced academics (e.g., improved grades, schoolwork, study skills)
7.8
General stress and college stressors during
pandemic compared to before pandemic
• Significantly lower during pandemic
•
•
•
Overall exposure to college stressors
Exposure to specific college stressors: future career/job, residence,
food/transportation, homesickness, college costs, romantic difficulties,
connecting with others at university
Perceived stressfulness of specific college stressor: homesickness
• Significantly greater during pandemic
•
•
•
•
Exposure to specific college stressors: time management, safety, autonomy, lack
of university support, alcohol/addiction, weight/image
Perceived stressfulness in general (Perceived Stress Scale)
Overall perceived stressfulness of college stressors
Perceived stressfulness of specific college stressors: academics, time
management, safety, autonomy, future career/job, residence,
food/transportation
**Specific stressors listed more than once are color coded
Coping strategies during pandemic compared
to before pandemic
• In line with transactional model of stress and coping and how students
appraised the pandemic
• Significantly greater emotion-focused coping during pandemic
• Aimed at managing emotions resulting from stressful situation
• Used more when stressful situation is one you cannot change or actively do
something to resolve
• Generally less adaptive, but can be helpful in the short-term
• Examples: self-distraction, tension reduction, venting, acceptance
• Significantly less problem-focused coping during pandemic
•
•
•
•
Aimed at reducing the source of the stress
Used more when stressful situation is one you can change
Generally more adaptive
Examples: active coping, planning, instrumental support coping, prioritizing
Psychological symptoms during pandemic
compared to before pandemic
• Significantly higher mean depressive and anxiety symptoms during pandemic
Fall 2019 Mean
Spring 2020 Mean
t-test p-value
Depressive symptoms
7.19
8.61
<.001
Anxiety symptoms
6.72
8.06
<.001
• Significantly higher positive screens for depression and anxiety during pandemic
Fall 2019 %
Spring 2020 %
Chi square p-value
Depression
29.5
40.5
<.001
Generalized anxiety disorder
27.1
34.4
.002
Summary
• Student stress and coping during the pandemic is an
illustration of the transactional model of stress and coping
• Students appraise the pandemic as relevant to their wellbeing and a situation they are not able to change or control
• Leads to perceiving pandemic as more than moderately
stressful
• Based on lack of control, students using more emotionfocused coping and less problem-focused coping
• Results in students experiencing more psychological
symptoms of anxiety and depression
Stress & Health Lab Research Team
• Director: Christyn Dolbier, associate professor
• Lauren Conder, clinical health psychology doctoral student
• Sarah Vanacore, clinical health psychology doctoral student
• Erin Haley, clinical health psychology doctoral student
• William Guiler, psychology and neuroscience double major,
honors college
• Tatum Feiler, psychology major, honors college
Questions?
• Contact the Stress & Health Lab, Department of
Psychology
• stressandhealth@ecu.edu
• 252-328-6553
