Look on the Bright Side: Sleep, Coping, and Perceived Social Support as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic among Emerging Adults at College

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Leah Seldin
Leah Seldin

Leah Seldin (’21, ’22) is a graduate student in the BA/MA program in Psychology under Professor Royette T. Dubar. She has been a member of the Sleep and Psychosocial Adjustment Lab for 2 years. Previously, she has assisted with research at Rutgers University and Montclair State University. Most recently, she was a clinical psychology intern at the Child Mind Institute. At Wesleyan, Leah is the president of Psi Chi (International Honor Society in Psychology). Her research interests include adolescence and emerging adulthood, psychosocial adjustment, internalizing disorders, and dialectical behavioral therapy. This upcoming year, she will be pursuing a gap year before pursuing a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology.

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Abstract: Emerging research has indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a deleterious effect on psychological well-being among the general and college student population. Given the unique experiences and vulnerability associated with college students, it is of interest to examine potential predictors for positive psychological adjustment. The goal of the current study was to examine sleep, coping, and perceived support as concurrent predictors of two indices of  positive psychological adjustment, general well-being and positive perceived implications of COVID-19, during the COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of emerging adults attending college. Participants were 619 emerging adults (ages 18 – 29) enrolled at various colleges and universities across the United States. Participants completed a survey as part of a longitudinal study between ​​May 26th and June 17th, 2020. A path model was conducted in AMOS and found that sleep quality, but not sleep duration, was a concurrent predictor of positive psychological well-being, reaffirming the importance of proper sleep hygiene during stressful events. In terms of coping strategies, positive reframing predicted both indices of psychological well-being, whereas active coping only predicted greater positive perceived implications of COVID-19. Religious coping was not related to either of the indices of psychological well-being. Perceiving greater family support predicted both measures of psychological well-being whereas perceiving greater friend support only predicted greater positive implications of COVID-19. Understanding how college students have navigated the experience of the COVID-19 through their sleep, coping, and interpersonal support systems provide a window of opportunity into how individuals, parents, peers, and institutions of higher learning can support emerging adults in looking on the bright side of a dark reality.

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