University student perceptions of health and disease during remote learning in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objectives

Assess student perceptions of health and disease during remote learning in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants

Convenience sample of undergraduate students at a liberal arts university (n = 67).

Methods

Survey administered across multiple sections of a required general education course in Spring 2020. Measures included Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, Perceived Health Competence, and COVID-19 perceived impact on students’ communities and wellbeing.

Results

Students reported relatively low levels of fear about COVID-19, not differing by number or severity of known cases or community impact (p = 0.67, 0.55, 0.11, respectively). Stress and mental health were priority concerns over infectious diseases. Students reported negatively affected emotional (70%) and interpersonal (67%) wellbeing; unexpectedly, over half of students reported positive impacts in ≥ one wellness dimension.

Conclusions

Student-identified concerns emphasized psychosocial wellbeing, suggesting additional need for mental health resources. Low perceived threat of infectious diseases may present barriers to COVID-19-related prevention behaviors.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• student health
• university

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements of the United States of America, and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Furman University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.