Date of Defense

4-13-2021

Date of Graduation

5-2021

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Elissa Allen

Second Advisor

Pamela Wadsworth

Keywords

COVID, ONLINE, SCHOOL, PANDEMIC, STUDENTS, HEALTH

Abstract

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students in various ways. Students around the world / in the U.S have been impacted in financial, emotional, mental, and physical ways as COVID-19 continues to change the way the world is navigated. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the feelings and vulnerabilities of students at the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) building during the 2020 Pandemic. In order to succeed in school, students need to feel financially stable, physically stable and mentally stable. While many students have struggled with this balance in the past, the effect of COVID-19 has worsened these concerns, especially for those who experience increased exposure through their profession or jobs. Other researchers have reported that the impact of the pandemic on student life includes worsening mental and physical health. However, this research is limited and warrants further investigation on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students and their wellbeing. To this end, an anonymous survey was sent to Western Michigan University (WMU) students within the CHHS building. A sample of students was gathered through email recruitment. The survey was distributed to students in undergraduate and graduate programs to assess and request information about their mental and physical health. The questionnaire was aimed to identify contributing factors to health such as financial stress or stress from exposure to the virus. Questions included students’ academic, financial, mental health and physical concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only with this data contribute to discovery on how to make students more successful, but a proposition of a mental health texting service to support and bring awareness to these issues will be created in collaboration with public health students.

Comments

Co-authored with Macey Seal.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

Additional Files
Presentation.pdf (2874 kB)
Defense Presentation
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