Wellbeing among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review of longitudinal studies
Wellbeing among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review of longitudinal studies
Objectives: the objectives of this study were to investigate the wellbeing trajectories of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify associated protective factors. Results from the study aimed to inform wellbeing-promotion strategies and crisis-response plans in university settings.
Study design: systematic review.
Methods: a review of articles published in English language was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC databases from 1 December 2019 to 15 December 2022. Longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional studies that assessed wellbeing among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic using a validated instrument were included. Article and data extraction were performed by the primary reviewer, with a random subset verified by a second reviewer. Study quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health ‘Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies’.
Results: of 6651 titles screened without duplicates, 181 underwent full-text review, of which 19 were included in the current study (15 longitudinal and 4 repeated cross-sectional studies, with a total of 19,206 participants). A significant decrease in the wellbeing of university students was observed across studies during the early stages of the pandemic compared to prepandemic times; however, mixed findings were found in later phases of the pandemic, with some studies presenting an improvement in wellbeing, others no change, and two studies finding impairments. Overall, wellbeing was greater among males and was also associated with socioeconomic status, more sleep and physical activity, greater social connectedness, less alcohol use, and less social media activity.
Conclusion: the study showed varying wellbeing trajectories across different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results provide relevant information for researchers, public health professionals, and higher education institutions in charge of promoting student wellbeing and crisis preparedness. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022383941.
COVID-19 pandemic, Longitudinal, Systematic review, University students, Wellbeing changes
125-133
Lemyre, Anaïs
3adae165-6be9-4141-a39f-99f0f64ceef5
Palmer-Cooper, Emma
e96e8cb6-2221-4dc7-b556-603f2cf6b086
Messina, Jane P.
d7056ef3-752d-48df-8907-2161e498b47c
4 August 2023
Lemyre, Anaïs
3adae165-6be9-4141-a39f-99f0f64ceef5
Palmer-Cooper, Emma
e96e8cb6-2221-4dc7-b556-603f2cf6b086
Messina, Jane P.
d7056ef3-752d-48df-8907-2161e498b47c
Lemyre, Anaïs, Palmer-Cooper, Emma and Messina, Jane P.
(2023)
Wellbeing among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.
Public Health, 222, .
(doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2023.07.001).
Abstract
Objectives: the objectives of this study were to investigate the wellbeing trajectories of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify associated protective factors. Results from the study aimed to inform wellbeing-promotion strategies and crisis-response plans in university settings.
Study design: systematic review.
Methods: a review of articles published in English language was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC databases from 1 December 2019 to 15 December 2022. Longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional studies that assessed wellbeing among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic using a validated instrument were included. Article and data extraction were performed by the primary reviewer, with a random subset verified by a second reviewer. Study quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health ‘Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies’.
Results: of 6651 titles screened without duplicates, 181 underwent full-text review, of which 19 were included in the current study (15 longitudinal and 4 repeated cross-sectional studies, with a total of 19,206 participants). A significant decrease in the wellbeing of university students was observed across studies during the early stages of the pandemic compared to prepandemic times; however, mixed findings were found in later phases of the pandemic, with some studies presenting an improvement in wellbeing, others no change, and two studies finding impairments. Overall, wellbeing was greater among males and was also associated with socioeconomic status, more sleep and physical activity, greater social connectedness, less alcohol use, and less social media activity.
Conclusion: the study showed varying wellbeing trajectories across different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results provide relevant information for researchers, public health professionals, and higher education institutions in charge of promoting student wellbeing and crisis preparedness. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022383941.
Text
1-s2.0-S0033350623002317-main
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 4 July 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 August 2023
Published date: 4 August 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
AL is supported by a scholarship from the Canadian foundation Baxter and Alma Ricard. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful comments.
Keywords:
COVID-19 pandemic, Longitudinal, Systematic review, University students, Wellbeing changes
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 482499
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/482499
ISSN: 0033-3506
PURE UUID: 3894725f-7cc9-4111-a171-07ef894f0f0e
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 09 Oct 2023 16:59
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:48
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Anaïs Lemyre
Author:
Jane P. Messina
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
