University Student Perceptions of Health and Disease during Remote Learning in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: Assess student perceptions of health and disease during remote learning in the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Convenience sample of undergraduate students at a liberal arts university (n = 67). Methods: Survey administered across multiple sections of a required general education course in Spring 2020. Measures included Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, Perceived Health Competence, and COVID-19 perceived impact on students' communities and wellbeing. Results: Students reported relatively low levels of fear about COVID-19, not differing by number or severity of known cases or community impact (p = 0.67, 0.55, 0.11, respectively). Stress and mental health were priority concerns over infectious diseases. Students reported negatively affected emotional (70%) and interpersonal (67%) wellbeing; unexpectedly, over half of students reported positive impacts in [greater than or equal to] one wellness dimension. Conclusions: Student-identified concerns emphasized psychosocial wellbeing, suggesting additional need for mental health resources. Low perceived threat of infectious diseases may present barriers to COVID-19-related prevention behaviors.