Assessment of psychological distress as a function of positive psychological variables during the COVID-19 pandemic: A university longitudinal study

Objective: To examine changes in psychological distress of college students as a function of demographic and psychological variables over time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Subjects were recruited from a large public university in Northeast Ohio using electronic surveys administered at three time points in 2020. Methods: Demographics, positive psychological metrics (flourishing, perceived social support, and resilience) and psychological distress were collected and a mixed linear model was run to estimate their effect on change in distress. Results: Psychological distress did not change significantly across time. Females experienced more psychological distress than males. Higher levels of flourishing, perceived social support, and resilience were associated with less distress overall. Conclusions: Although psychological distress did not change across observed time, previous data suggests heightened psychological distress that remained elevated across observed time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive psychological variables were shown to mitigate psychological distress, and the relationship was stable over time.