Study Shows Devastating Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Measures on Mental Health of College Students

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it unprecedented mandates for college students that detrimentally impacted everything from their lifestyle and ability to exercise, to their mental health and social interactions, according to a recent study.

Researchers are now urging public health officials to reconsider mitigation measures for future pandemics and are advocating for college students to have free will to make their own decisions. They say it is imperative to understand how COVID-19 mandates and their duration disrupted society and negatively impacted young college students.

Published in the International Journal of Sport, Exercise, and Health Research, researchers examined the effects of COVID-19 mandates on exercise experiences, mental health, and social relationships among 13 ethnically diverse college students from two institutions with different approaches to the pandemic. Western University (WU) implemented prolonged stay-at-home measures and mask mandates, while Southern University (SU) had fewer societal restrictions following the first lockdown in March 2020.

The goal was to determine how COVID-19 mandates affected students and whether there was a relationship between the duration of pandemic measures and students’ well-being.

Effects on Exercise and Health

According to the study, COVID-19 mandates such as lockdowns and social isolation, disrupted regular exercise participation, despite research showing exercise improves immune function, prevents obesity, and decreases COVID-19 severity and progression.

Results showed nine of 13 students, especially those from WU, where COVID-19 mandates were more stringent, had negative exercise experiences, resulting in decreased or complete cessation of exercise.

Reasons given included gym closures, disruption in contact sports, heavy screen use, lack of appropriate exercise equipment, social distancing and isolation, lack of structure, and mask requirements that made it uncomfortable or difficult to exercise indoors.

Of the four students who remained active, two attended SU—which only implemented a short-term initial lockdown—allowing them to perform indoor exercises at a gym or at home. The two WU students who remained active managed to perform outdoor activities. Numerous students experienced anxiety as they adjusted from an active lifestyle to an inactive lifestyle with increased screen time.

Two previously active students stopped exercising completely due to lockdowns and social isolation. One student reported his life “changed completely” by not exercising and having to spend substantial time in front of a computer. Another student lost motivation to exercise and gained weight.

Other studies noted yielded similar findings, showing longer stay-at-home measures caused decreased physical activity and increased weight gain among adults, negatively impacting health.

The only positive exercise experiences student participants reported related to the socialization that occurred when lockdowns lifted and gyms reopened, or when students had a group of friends they could be active with.

Although a few students reported that the lockdown allowed them to have time to bond with family members or to step back from aggressive sports, the study authors said the findings reinforce the need to take “frequent breaks from one’s routine and busy lives; visit with family and friends; and emphasize the good life and well-being via autonomous lifestyle choices.”

Effects on Mental Health and Social Relationships

According to the study, most university students, especially those with preexisting mental health issues, reported health concerns related to “lockdowns, social isolation, and heavy screen use,” such as “increased anxiety, depression, sadness, frustration, and sleep problems.”

Findings were consistent with the results of other studies; however, unique to this study, several students fell behind in academic learning and struggled to find motivation when their in-person classes went online.

One student developed migraines from heavy screen use. Another worried she wouldn’t graduate in time to attend graduate school. Yet another student said being forced to wear a mask negatively affected her health and ability to learn.

The study points out that students were forced to wear masks to their detriment, even though several studies showed they did not affect hospitalization or mortality rates. In addition, studies have now demonstrated that lockdowns had “little to no effect on COVID-19 mortality.”

In other words, students were subjected to COVID-19 mandates that negatively impacted their lives but did not yield positive benefits.

The authors said another unique finding was that students, especially those who attended WU with prolonged mandates, reported challenges with their social relationships. Several students used Zoom meetings for socializing, although they did not enjoy the experience or forgoing in-person interactions. They could no longer express emotions or connect with others in the same way.

“This again strengthens the argument that the solution to a COVID-19 type of pandemic is not to eliminate human contact, which is shown to be more harmful than helpful in many aspects of life, including dealing with COVID-19,” the authors stated.

Health Officials Should Respect a Person’s Free Will

The authors noted most of the study’s participants had a “protective layer” against the adverse effects of mandates because they were already active at the time restrictions went into place and were not at a high risk of COVID-19 severity or mortality.

They hypothesized that the adverse effects of mandates may be more devastating among inactive individuals or people with diminished physical functioning or social networks, such as older adults or people with disabilities.

At the same time, given that healthy college students are a low-risk population, the authors urged public health officials to reconsider the imposed measures in the future, respecting people’s “free will and phronetic action” to make wise decisions for themselves.