Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experience and mental health of university students studying in Canada and the UK: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives To explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences and mental health of university students. Design A cross-sectional study consisting of an electronic survey about students' experiences and concerns during the pandemic and the associated impact. In addition to the quantitative analysis, free-text responses were extracted and analysed using a framework technique. Setting Queen's University in Canada and the University of Oxford in the UK. Participants Undergraduate students at Queen's University and first-year undergraduate students at the University of Oxford were invited to complete the COVID-19 supplement survey. This study included data from 3013 Queen's students as the primary focus and 339 Oxford students as a secondary comparison. Results Females at Queen's reported greater adherence to government recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (91.3% vs 86.7%, χ 2 p<0.01) and were more likely to self-isolate (63.9% vs 57.0%, χ 2 p<0.01) than males. A similar trend was seen among Oxford students. Students' concerns were wide ranging including those related to their learning experience, finances and future academic and career prospects. 78.9% of Queen's students and 50.4% of first-year Oxford students reported worries about the long-term impact on their academic and job prospects. A sizeable proportion of students also reported that the pandemic negatively impacted their plans to continue at university (29.4% of Queen's, 14.2% of Oxford) and disrupted activities important to their mental well-being. Key themes identified in the qualitative component included the negative impacts of social isolation, challenging academic changes and disruption to support services and means of coping. Conclusions Overall, findings underscore the importance of addressing areas of student concern and the aspects of student life negatively impacted by the pandemic in order to maintain student well-being and support a successful university experience.