A Qualitative Look at the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on American College Students Studying Abroad
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v33i3.602Keywords:
mental health, COVID-19, behavioral health, stress, college studentsAbstract
COVID-19 has impacted higher education greatly, with many colleges and universities being forced to quickly implement procedures for operation as closures and restrictions shifted many programs online. These abrupt changes amounted to uncertainty and challenges for students worldwide. Students who were studying abroad during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic faced unique challenges as programs shut down and many returned home from overseas. The current study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. study abroad students through a qualitative lens. Students reported unique stressors related to being abroad during the onset of the pandemic, such as missed experiences, financial loss, travel difficulties, and stressors related to academic programs. Additionally, many reported considerable and lasting impacts on emotional and behavioral health. This study provides preliminary evidence for the effects of COVID-19 on study abroad students, and highlights the importance of addressing the needs of this population during and after the pandemic.
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References
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Church, A. T. (1982). Sojourner adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 91(3), 540. No DOI.
Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Rudolph, J., Malkawi, B., Glowatz, M., et al. (2020). COVID-19: 20 countries' higher education intra-period digital pedagogy responses. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 3(1), 1-20. doi: 10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.7
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Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J., Speer, N., & Zivin, K. (2011). Mental health service utilization among college students in the United States. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199(5), 301-308. doi:10.1097/NMD.0b013e3182175123
Fegert, J. M., Vitiello, B., Plener, P. L., & Clemens, V. (2020). Challenges and burden of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for child and adolescent mental health: a narrative review to highlight clinical and research needs in the acute phase and the long return to normality. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 14, 1-11. doi: 10.1186/s13034-020-00329-3
Firth, C., LaBrie, J. W., D'Amico, E. J., Klein, D. J., Griffin, B. A., & Pedersen, E. R. (2020). Changes in cigarette, e-cigarette, and cannabis use among U.S. college students studying abroad. Substance Use and Misuse, 55(10), 1683-1691. doi:10.1080/10826084.2020.1756853
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Hamza, C. A., Ewing, L., Heath, N. L., & Goldstein, A. L. (2020). When social isolation is nothing new: A longitudinal study psychological distress during COVID-19 among university students with and without preexisting mental health concerns. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, No Pagination Specified. doi:10.1037/cap0000255
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Horigian, V. E., Schmidt, R. D., & Feaster, D. J. (2020). Loneliness, mental health, and substance use among US young adults during COVID-19. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1-9. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2020.1836435
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Kauffmann, N. L., & Kuh, G. D. (1984). The impact of study abroad on personal development of college students. Journal of International Student Personnel, May, 6-10.
Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study. PLoS one, 15(9), e0239696. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239696
Kitsantas, A. (2004). Studying abroad: The role of college students’ goals on the development of cross-cultural skills and global understanding. College Student Journal, 38, 441-453.
Lechner, W. V., Laurene, K. R., Patel, S., Anderson, M., Grega, C., & Kenne, D. R. (2020). Changes in alcohol use as a function of psychological distress and social support following COVID-19 related University closings. Addictive Behaviors, 110, 106527. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106527
Liu, C. H., Zhang, E., Wong, G. T. F., Hyun, S., & Hahm, H. C. (2020). Factors associated with depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic: Clinical implications for U.S. young adult mental health. Psychiatry Research, 290. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113172
Liu, J., Zhu, Q., Fan, W., Makamure, J., Zheng, C., & Wang, J. (2020). Online Mental Health Survey in a Medical College in China During the COVID-19 Outbreak. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 459. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00459
Mapp, S. C. (2012). Effect of Short-Term Study Abroad Programs on Students' Cultural Adaptability. Journal of Social Work Education, 48(4), 727-737. doi:10.5175/JSWE.2012.201100103
McHugh, M. L. (2012). Interrater reliability: the kappa statistic. Biochemia Medica, 22(3), 276-282. No doi.
Oberg, K. (1960). Cultural shock: Adjustment to new cultural environments. Practical Anthropology, os-7(4), 177-182. doi:10.1177/009182966000700405
Padilla, D. (2020). Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on study abroad, student exchange programs. Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Available at https://diverseeducation.com/article/194326/.
Pedersen E. R., D. A., E. J., LaBrie, J. W., Farris, C., Klein, D. J., Griffin, B. A. (2019). An online alcohol and risky sex prevention program for college students studying abroad: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial Addiction Science & Clinical Practice(14), 32. doi: 10.1186/s13722-019-0162-4
Pedersen, E. R., D'Amico, E. J., LaBrie, J. W., Klein, D. J., Farris, C., & Griffin, B. A. (2020). Alcohol and sexual risk among American college students studying abroad. Prevention Science, 21, 926-936. doi:10.1007/s11121-020-01149-9
Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Zulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2015). College students: mental health problems and treatment considerations. Academic Psychiatry, 39(5), 503-511. doi: 10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9
Perz, C. A., Lang, B. A., & Harrington, R. (2020). Validation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale in a US college sample. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 25, 1-11. doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00356-3
Ryan, G. W., & Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85-109. No doi.
Ryan, M. E., & Twibell, R. S. (2000). Concerns, values, stress, coping, health and educational outcomes of college students who studied abroad. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24(4), 409-435. doi:10.1016/S0147-1767(00)00014-6
Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020a). Effects of COVID-19 on college students' mental health in the united states: Interview survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e21279. doi:10.2196/21279
Sutton, R. C., & Rubin, D. L. . (2010). Documenting the Academic Impact of Study Abroad: Final Report of the GLOSSARI Project. Paper presented at the NAFSA Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. No doi.
Wang, X., Hegde, S., Son, C., Keller, B., Smith, A., & Sasangohar, F. (2020a). Investigating mental health of US college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e22817. doi:10.2196/22817
Wang, Z.-H., Yang, H.-L., Yang, Y.-Q., Liu, D., Li, Z.-H., et al. (2020). Prevalence of anxiety and depression symptom, and the demands for psychological knowledge and interventions in college students during COVID-19 epidemic: A large cross-sectional study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 275, 188-193. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.034
White, H. R., Stevens, A. K., Hayes, K., & Jackson, K. M. (2020). changes in alcohol consumption among college students due to COVID-19: Effects of campus closure and residential change. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 81(6), 725-730. doi:10.15288/jsad.2020.81.725
Ye, Z., Yang, X., Zeng, C., Wang, Y., Shen, Z., Li, X., & Lin, D. (2020). Resilience, Social Support, and Coping as Mediators between COVID-19-related stressful experiences and acute stress disorder among college students in China. Applied psychology. Health and well-being, 10.1111/aphw.12211. doi:10.1111/aphw.12211
Bathke, A., & Kim, R. (2016). Keep calm and go abroad: The effect of learning abroad on student mental health. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 27, 1-16. No DOI.
Biber, D. D., Melton, B., & Czech, D. R. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on college anxiety, optimism, gratitude, and course satisfaction. Journal of American College Health, 1-6. doi:10.1080/07448481.2020.1842424
Bu, F., Steptoe, A., & Fancourt, D. (2020). Who is lonely in lockdown? Cross-cohort analyses of predictors of loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health, 186, 31-34. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.06.036
Butler-Kisber, L. (2010). Qualitative inquiry: Thematic, narrative and arts-informed perspectives: Sage Publications. No DOI.
Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry Research, 287, 112934. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934
Church, A. T. (1982). Sojourner adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 91(3), 540. No DOI.
Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Rudolph, J., Malkawi, B., Glowatz, M., et al. (2020). COVID-19: 20 countries' higher education intra-period digital pedagogy responses. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 3(1), 1-20. doi: 10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.7
Dedoose. (2020). Dedoose software (Version 7.0.23). Los Angeles, CA: SocioCultural Research Consultants, LLC. www.dedoose.com
Dwyer, M. M. (2004). More is better: The impact of study abroad program duration. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 10, 151-163. doi: 0.36366/frontiers.v10i1.139
Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J., Speer, N., & Zivin, K. (2011). Mental health service utilization among college students in the United States. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199(5), 301-308. doi:10.1097/NMD.0b013e3182175123
Fegert, J. M., Vitiello, B., Plener, P. L., & Clemens, V. (2020). Challenges and burden of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for child and adolescent mental health: a narrative review to highlight clinical and research needs in the acute phase and the long return to normality. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 14, 1-11. doi: 10.1186/s13034-020-00329-3
Firth, C., LaBrie, J. W., D'Amico, E. J., Klein, D. J., Griffin, B. A., & Pedersen, E. R. (2020). Changes in cigarette, e-cigarette, and cannabis use among U.S. college students studying abroad. Substance Use and Misuse, 55(10), 1683-1691. doi:10.1080/10826084.2020.1756853
Gabbatt, A. (2020). Social recession: How isolation can affect physical and mental health. The Guardian, 18.
Hamza, C. A., Ewing, L., Heath, N. L., & Goldstein, A. L. (2020). When social isolation is nothing new: A longitudinal study psychological distress during COVID-19 among university students with and without preexisting mental health concerns. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, No Pagination Specified. doi:10.1037/cap0000255
Hechanova-Alampay, R., Beehr, T. A., Christiansen, N. D., & Van Horn, R. K. (2002). Adjustment and strain among domestic and international student sojourners: A longitudinal study. School Psychology International, 23(4), 458-474. doi:10.1177/0143034302234007
Horigian, V. E., Schmidt, R. D., & Feaster, D. J. (2020). Loneliness, mental health, and substance use among US young adults during COVID-19. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1-9. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2020.1836435
Hunley, H. A. (2010). Students’ functioning while studying abroad: The impact of psychological distress and loneliness. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34(4), 386-392. doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2009.08.005
Institute of International Education. (2020). The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.iie.org.
Kauffmann, N. L., & Kuh, G. D. (1984). The impact of study abroad on personal development of college students. Journal of International Student Personnel, May, 6-10.
Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study. PLoS one, 15(9), e0239696. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239696
Kitsantas, A. (2004). Studying abroad: The role of college students’ goals on the development of cross-cultural skills and global understanding. College Student Journal, 38, 441-453.
Lechner, W. V., Laurene, K. R., Patel, S., Anderson, M., Grega, C., & Kenne, D. R. (2020). Changes in alcohol use as a function of psychological distress and social support following COVID-19 related University closings. Addictive Behaviors, 110, 106527. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106527
Liu, C. H., Zhang, E., Wong, G. T. F., Hyun, S., & Hahm, H. C. (2020). Factors associated with depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic: Clinical implications for U.S. young adult mental health. Psychiatry Research, 290. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113172
Liu, J., Zhu, Q., Fan, W., Makamure, J., Zheng, C., & Wang, J. (2020). Online Mental Health Survey in a Medical College in China During the COVID-19 Outbreak. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 459. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00459
Mapp, S. C. (2012). Effect of Short-Term Study Abroad Programs on Students' Cultural Adaptability. Journal of Social Work Education, 48(4), 727-737. doi:10.5175/JSWE.2012.201100103
McHugh, M. L. (2012). Interrater reliability: the kappa statistic. Biochemia Medica, 22(3), 276-282. No doi.
Oberg, K. (1960). Cultural shock: Adjustment to new cultural environments. Practical Anthropology, os-7(4), 177-182. doi:10.1177/009182966000700405
Padilla, D. (2020). Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on study abroad, student exchange programs. Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Available at https://diverseeducation.com/article/194326/.
Pedersen E. R., D. A., E. J., LaBrie, J. W., Farris, C., Klein, D. J., Griffin, B. A. (2019). An online alcohol and risky sex prevention program for college students studying abroad: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial Addiction Science & Clinical Practice(14), 32. doi: 10.1186/s13722-019-0162-4
Pedersen, E. R., D'Amico, E. J., LaBrie, J. W., Klein, D. J., Farris, C., & Griffin, B. A. (2020). Alcohol and sexual risk among American college students studying abroad. Prevention Science, 21, 926-936. doi:10.1007/s11121-020-01149-9
Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Zulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2015). College students: mental health problems and treatment considerations. Academic Psychiatry, 39(5), 503-511. doi: 10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9
Perz, C. A., Lang, B. A., & Harrington, R. (2020). Validation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale in a US college sample. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 25, 1-11. doi:10.1007/s11469-020-00356-3
Ryan, G. W., & Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85-109. No doi.
Ryan, M. E., & Twibell, R. S. (2000). Concerns, values, stress, coping, health and educational outcomes of college students who studied abroad. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24(4), 409-435. doi:10.1016/S0147-1767(00)00014-6
Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020a). Effects of COVID-19 on college students' mental health in the united states: Interview survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e21279. doi:10.2196/21279
Sutton, R. C., & Rubin, D. L. . (2010). Documenting the Academic Impact of Study Abroad: Final Report of the GLOSSARI Project. Paper presented at the NAFSA Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. No doi.
Wang, X., Hegde, S., Son, C., Keller, B., Smith, A., & Sasangohar, F. (2020a). Investigating mental health of US college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e22817. doi:10.2196/22817
Wang, Z.-H., Yang, H.-L., Yang, Y.-Q., Liu, D., Li, Z.-H., et al. (2020). Prevalence of anxiety and depression symptom, and the demands for psychological knowledge and interventions in college students during COVID-19 epidemic: A large cross-sectional study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 275, 188-193. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.06.034
White, H. R., Stevens, A. K., Hayes, K., & Jackson, K. M. (2020). changes in alcohol consumption among college students due to COVID-19: Effects of campus closure and residential change. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 81(6), 725-730. doi:10.15288/jsad.2020.81.725
Ye, Z., Yang, X., Zeng, C., Wang, Y., Shen, Z., Li, X., & Lin, D. (2020). Resilience, Social Support, and Coping as Mediators between COVID-19-related stressful experiences and acute stress disorder among college students in China. Applied psychology. Health and well-being, 10.1111/aphw.12211. doi:10.1111/aphw.12211
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Published
2021-12-21
How to Cite
Pedersen, E., Fitzke, R., Bouskill, K., & Sedano, A. (2021). A Qualitative Look at the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on American College Students Studying Abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 33(3), 70–100. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v33i3.602
