A new "return to campus" survey led by The Ohio State University's Office of the Chief Wellness Officer finds rising rates of anxiety, depression, burnout and the use of unhealthy coping mechanisms among students navigating through a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to other data on college students throughout the U.S.
Ohio State conducted surveys in August 2020 and April 2021 of randomly-selected students to assess changes in mental health, coping strategies, healthy lifestyle behaviors and needs over time. Among the 1,072 Ohio State students who responded:
Students who screened positive for anxiety:
- August 2020: 39%
- April 2021: 42.6%
Students who screened positive for depression:
- August 2020: 24.1%
- April 2021: 28.3%
Students who screened positive for burnout:
- August 2020: 40%
- April 2021: 71%
Coping methods self-identified by students:
- Eating more unhealthy food rose from 25% to 29%
- Use of alcohol rose from 15.5% to 18%
- Use of tobacco/vaping role from 6% to 8%