An Exclusive Condition: COVID-19 Induced Stress as a Reflector of Status Inequality and Predictor of Academic Experience Among College Students

Abstract

The current research focuses on how COVID-19 induced stress impacts academic outcomes among college students of different structural backgrounds. To pinpoint the effect of structural hierarchy, we look at the relationship between stress levels of students across the specific demographic variables of race and first-generation college-going status. We further postulate that stress levels witness a growing trend for racial/ethnic minorities and first-generation college students, as their physical and psychological resources deplete at a much higher rate as they confront more problems as the pandemic progresses. However, we predict that these students will also demonstrate a corresponding increase in their resilience in stress management through engagement with unique coping methods. The findings will expand our understanding of stress, underscored by the context of COVID-19, as a product of systematic inequity and its effects on the academic outcomes— operationalized by units taken— of different student populations. As such, we can work towards building stress responses and coping strategies to mitigate the impact of COVID-induced stress on those who are most affected.



Author Information
Hong Chan, University of California, Irvine, United States
Luise Von Keyserlingk, University of California, Irvine, United States
Katsumi Yamaguchi-Pedroza, University of California, Irvine, United States

Paper Information
Conference: ECE2021
Stream: Higher education

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Posted by James Alexander Gordon