A Multi-site, longitudinal investigation of emerging adult mental health across multiple stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact mental health across different (a) pandemic stages, (b) mental-health aspects, (c) people, and (d) life circumstances? Answering these questions will identify ongoing mental health needs and could inform mitigation strategies for future large-scale stressors. However, answers to these questions remain elusive because studies have often focused on a single, early stage of the pandemic (without appropriate pre-pandemic baselines) or single facets of mental health. This preregistered, multisite study addressed these gaps by examining clinical symptoms (depressive and anxiety) and well-being (life satisfaction) among emerging adults in college (primarily first-year students) from shortly before the pandemic (Fall 2019) through initial (Spring 2020) (N = 760) and later (Fall 2020) stages (n = 194), and the role of sociodemographic factors and life circumstances. Though depressive symptoms were stable overall, they increased among White, but not Asian, participants. Anxiety symptoms initially decreased but later returned to pre-pandemic levels. Life satisfaction was initially stable but later decreased, particularly for participants negatively impacted by the pandemic. Socioeconomic status, gender, and COVID-19 virus risk did not predict mental-health impacts. Thus, at least in our sample, resilience was common, but mental-health impacts varied across pandemic stages, mental-health aspects, some sociodemographic factors, and life circumstances.