The Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 and Social Distancing
Author:
Colette Sachs ’21
Co-Authors:
Lily Shorney ’22
Faculty Mentor(s):
Prof. Chris Boyatzis – Psychology Department
Funding Source:
N/A
Abstract
During the period of March to August of 2020, college students across the country were asked to stay in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented era of social distancing and sheltering in place presents the unique opportunity to explore how college students coped and fared psychologically. Browning et. al (2021) assessed students from seven US universities and found high psychological impact due to sheltering in place, specifically for students who identified as female, people of color, and low income. Through a virtual MTurk survey administered to first-year Bucknell students in the fall of 2020, we intended to examine differences in students’ reactions to and experiences in this quarantine period. This sample included 120 first-year Bucknell students, 70% female. Subject variables included family background, personality, and the perceived support felt by the student within their quarantine environment. Participants completed survey measures on some key outcomes such as parental relationships, loneliness, eating habits, and body image. We have run correlations, regressions and T-tests to determine differences in quarantine experiences and discover any significant outcome variables.