Assessing the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic on University Students

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Neha Nascimento
Neha Nascimento

Neha Nascimento is a Masters student whose passion for uplifting voices of color inspired the current study. As a student of color, Neha believes representation matters in all fields, but especially psychology. After studying psychology and African American studies at Wesleyan university, she went on to pursue a masters degree in psychology with a focus on highlighting the experiences of minority populations.

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic affected the lives of university students, with specific respect paid to those who identify as “Students of Color”. Through two studies, the ways in which the pandemic affected their lives were examined. The first study was a quantitative approach. A sample of 67 participants answered a multi-question survey on how the pandemic affected their academics, relationships, health, and if any positive change occurred. Responses were analyzed highlighting the variables of ethnicity, class year, and reported financial aid status through a univariate linear regression model. Results indicate that there was a not a significant relationship between ethnicity or financial aid status on sub-scale affect, such that neither ethnicity nor financial aid status of a participant had influence on the way the COVID-19 pandemic affected their life. Class year was found to have a significant relationship with academic affect while other sub-scales reported no significant affect. The second study was an informal qualitative interview with a sample of 10 new participants. To gain a better understanding of the ways that students felt the consequences of the pandemic, a new set of participants were asked an abbreviated list of questions taken from the survey and encouraged to speak on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their lives. Results suggest that Students of Color had a different negative effect on their lives than White students due to the presence of external stressors. The results of both studies suggest all groups experienced a degree of negative effect as an outcome of the pandemic. This thesis concludes with the ways that this data can be implemented to combat the negative effects of the pandemic, not just for students of color but all university students.  

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