Eleventh International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

American universities use a variety of strategies, e.g., health clinics, campus recreation programs, counseling centers, disability services, and academic tutoring programs, to impact students’ mental and physical wellness. The overall purpose of the study was to assess the pre- and mid- pandemic effect on college students’ stress and optimism levels and to determine the effectiveness of university wellness interventions strategies on the levels of stress and optimism of college students. Over three-hundred students completed the pre- pandemic study and roughly two-hundred students have completed the mid- pandemic study. Both the pre- pandemic and mid- pandemic studies included two surveys, one taken on the first day of class and the other, four months later, on the participants’ final day of class, where participants self-reporting their levels of stress and optimism toward the future. In the final survey, participants further reported their engagement with university-based wellness programs and opportunities. Demographic data was also collected to be analyzed. Using a longitudinal pre- and post-assessment correlational design, researchers explored the relationship between the pandemic, participants’ use of wellness interventions, and their reported optimism and levels of stress. Findings from the study have potential to increase institutional influences on individual health and wellness by improving wellness implementation strategies, student orientation programs, and freshman success initiatives. In addition, findings can also increase understanding of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ mental health, academics, and campus engagement.