The Long-term impact of Covid-19 on student mental health

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions placed upon society have had a profound impact on both physical and mental health, particularly for young people. Aims The current study assesses student mental health pre, within and post COVID. Method Eight hundred and fourteen first year Undergraduate students completed a battery of self-report questionnaires to assess for depression, mobile phone use, self-esteem, resilience and social support with data being collected over a three year period. The data from each year was compared (216, 218 and 380 students respectively). Results A MANOVA revealed that COVID-19 had a significant impact on self-reported levels of depression, smartphone use, Self-esteem, resilience and social support. Multiple regression analysis revealed that Smart phone use and resilience were significant predictors of levels of depression. Conclusions This research suggests that COVID-19 has had a major impact upon student mental health, and that we have not yet seen a recovery in our ‘post-Covid’ times.