Depression and anxiety among college students at Historically Black and Predominantly White universities during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective

To assess depression and anxiety among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with race.

Participants

Using a cross-sectional survey, depression and anxiety among college students at a Predominantly White (PWU) and a Historically Black University (HBU) during 2021 were evaluated.

Methods

The patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), general anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7), and self-reported sociodemographic characteristics were collected. Chi-square and logistic regression tests examined differences in depression and anxiety based on race.

Results

Depression and anxiety among 3,102 students (87% female) were analyzed. Minority racial groups were associated with anxiety (p < 0.01) but not depression in the PWU. Moderately severe and severe depression was higher among the minority race at both the universities (1.76% compared to 0.53% at PWU, and 11.1% compared to 2.4% at HBU).

Conclusions

Depression and anxiety among college students is influenced by racial status. First-generation students were more likely to report depression in both HBU and PWU.

Keywords:

• Anxiety
• college students
• COVID-19
• depression
• minority race

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 United States and received approval from the Human Research Protection Program at the University of Georgia.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Resilient Georgia Inc.