Mental Health Outcomes and Academic Learning Performance of College Students during COVID-19

Background This study aims to assess the college students’ mental health across COVID-19 phases and the impacts on academic learning performance. Methods Collected data from 180 undergraduates in Massachusetts, from June 2020 to May 2021. We employed mixed-effect models to explore the immediate and delayed relationships between daily activities and mental health and to assess how mental health outcomes influenced academic engagement Results Nearly 80% of undergraduates exhibited symptoms of depression during the pandemic. Lower stress (B = -0.79 [p < .001]) and depression (B = -0.79 [p = .005]) contribute to better online learning engagement but not GPA. Listening more in online class was associated with immediate lower anxiety (B = -3.478 [p = .003]) and delayed lower stress (B = -0.437 [p = .047]). Speaking more in online classes had an immediate effect on higher depression (B = 1.216 [p = .028]) and anxiety (B = 5.516 [p = .011]). Conclusions College students’ mental health outcomes early in the pandemic were poor, and time spent on certain school-related activities significantly impacted their mental well-being. These findings contribute not only to the understanding of the evolving impact of the pandemic on students’ learning performance and mental health outcomes but also provide insights into factors influencing student mental health outcomes across various ongoing forms of classroom engagement.