Testing positive, losing a loved one, and financial hardship: Real-world impacts of COVID-19 on US college student distress

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on U.S. college students. In addition to facing academic-related stress and social pressures, these individuals are now increasingly susceptible to experiences such as contracting the virus, losing loved ones to COVID-19, or facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. The effects of such personal, pandemic-related experiences on young adult mental health - and the inherent racial disparities within these outcomes - remain largely understudied.We analyzed 65,568 undergraduate students from the Spring 2021 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA).The rates of the aforementioned COVID-19-related stressors were unevenly distributed across racial groups. A logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of moderate and serious psychological distress revealed that participants who had experienced the death of a loved one had 1.14 times greater odds of developing psychological distress (p 0.0001). Those who experienced financial hardship had an odds ratio of 1.78 (p 0.0001). Surprisingly, testing positive for COVID-19 was associated with an odds ratio of 0.82 of psychological distress (p 0.0001).Self-reported measures are susceptible to recall bias and misinterpretation. Exposure and outcome variables were measured simultaneously in this cross-sectional study which limits inference on causality.Financial burdens and bereavement are especially impactful stressors among college students during the pandemic, whereas contracting COVID-19 seemingly exhibits less impact on distress levels. When addressing student wellbeing, institutions should consider prioritizing the implementation of resources to support individuals affected by pandemic-related financial and familial losses.