Abstracts Health Sciences

Our Thoughts Matter: The Mental Health of College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Caitlin Zarzeczny

This study aimed to explore the mental health of undergraduate college students within the context of COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cognitions about health threat and engagement in protective health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were (N = 276) undergraduate students attending the University of North Florida. Students completed a SONA systems survey between March 2021 and December 2021. Participants received course credit for completing the survey. Survey questions were taken from the Perceived Effectiveness of COVID-19 Prevention Effectiveness Protocols scale (Prasetyo et al., 2020). Three types of variables were assessed: demographics, perceived threat, and planned action. Correlational analyses were conducted to assess potential significant relationships between these variables and self-reported anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9). Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to explore relationship among demographics, perceived threat, and planned action and dependent anxiety and depression. Perceived threat was found to be a significant predictor variable for both anxiety and depression. Further research should look more into cultural factors that impact engagement in health behaviors.