COVID Exposure and Well-Being: Examining Longitudinal Associations with PTSD, Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Trauma-Exposed College Students

Design: There is a paucity of work examining immediate and longer-term effects of positive factors and COVID-19 impact on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms. Methods: Participants were included from a longitudinal study of college study mental health during the pandemic, and included if they were trauma-exposed (n=612). Results: A path model revealed that COVID impact factors capturing key pandemic-related domains exerted immediate effects on mental health symptoms, but well-being (subjective quality of life) exerted immediate and longer-term effects. PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms influenced one another in the first months of the pandemic, but only PTSD symptoms impacted depression and anxiety one year later. Conclusions: Well-being may be important for mental health symptoms during the first year of the pandemic. PTSD may be an important focus in the prevention of depression and anxiety, among those exposed to trauma.