Background
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health disorders were commonly reported among post-secondary students (Auerbach et al., 2016; Ibrahim et al., 2013). On March 11th, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (Ghebreyesus, 2020) and educational institutions transitioned from in-person instruction to online learning with school closures impacting 94% of students (United Nations, 2020). Unfortunately, young adults (18 to 24 years old) displayed the greatest increase (17.4%) in the prevalence of major depressive disorder during the pandemic among all adult age cohorts (COVID-19 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2021; Shields et al., 2021). Our team (Bates and West) documented mental health and wellness trends among Trent University undergraduate students during the fall 2020 and fall 2021 terms. Over half of the participants in both the 2020 (N=766) and 2021 (N=589) cohorts displayed moderate-to-extremely-severe state anxiety (56% & 62%), depressive (56% & 58%) and stress symptoms (49% & 57%), and state anxiety and stress were higher in 2021 compared to 2020 (Dubale et al., 2024).
In addition to the mental health challenges associated with the pandemic, lockdowns may have adversely affected the development of interpersonal connections amongst students (Widnall et. al. 2022). This is problematic for undergraduate students because the sense of belonging to a school community is associated with better academic achievement (Bond et. al. 2007), health, and well-being (Jose et al. 2012; Viner et al. 2012) and has long-lasting protective effects into adulthood (Steiner et al., 2019). Academic success is highly dependent on psychosocial wellness and vice versa (Pluut et al., 2015). Canadian students reported that stress (41%), anxiety (34%), sleep difficulties (29%), and depression (24%) affected their academic performance more than cold/flu/bronchitis (25%), finances (11%), and work (17%) (American College Health Association, 2019). This reveals that non-academic factors are very critical to academic achievement.
As educators, we have noticed that students entering university since COVID-19 also seem less academically prepared. Even prior to the pandemic, undergraduate students demonstrated poor metacognition (Young & Fry, 2008), that is, an awareness of their own learning strategies and how, when, and why to successfully apply them (Tuononen et al., 2023). Strategic learning and academic success require “Skill, Will, and Self-regulation” (Weinstein, Acee, & Jung, 2011), attributes that are meant to be developed during secondary school (Weil et al., 2013; Moses-Payne 2021). However, during the pandemic, many students were learning with less teacher support and did not experience typical course and assessment structures. Flexibility was the norm and most instructors agree that they made it easier for students to do well (Supriya et al., 2021). As a result, students did not develop their personal learning skills (Skill), did not develop the ability to set short or long-term goals linked to personal values for self-motivation (Will), and did not figure out how to manage their own learning (Self-Regulation).
Despite these challenges, the largest school board in Canada reported that grade 12 students had an increase in grades and were more likely to graduate and attend university (Gallagher-Mackay et al., 2023). Grades in higher education were also elevated during the pandemic (Supriya et al., 2021). Despite elevated grades, 70% of biology undergraduate students surveyed stated that the pandemic negatively impacted their learning. Students felt that they understood and remembered less; had less concentration, motivation, and interest; and that the pandemic had negative impacts on their career preparation (Supriya et al., 2021). These results were mirrored across Canada (Napierala et al., 2022). When we surveyed Trent University biology undergraduate students, they also indicated very low levels of enjoyment during the pandemic (unpublished data, Collings et al., 2021). Thus, undergraduates entering post-secondary education since the pandemic may be academically unprepared and have a poor understanding of how to successfully learn.
Low-cost behavioral practices that aim to improve emotional regulation, including mindfulness (Greeson et al., 2014), are useful for reducing mental health concerns and perceived stress. While research that has examined the impact of mindfulness exercises in higher education is limited, it has been found to have positive effects on student stress, anxiety, and depression (Greeson et. al, 2014; Halladay et al., 2019), classroom attention (Mrazek et al., 2013), and writing efficacy (Drewery et al., 2022). Given our observation of poor state emotional health in undergraduate students (Dubale et al., 2024), we investigated whether using a mindfulness application (CalmTM) for one month affected student stress, state anxiety, and depressive symptoms (Lew et al., 2025). We found that after undergraduate students interacted with CalmTM for 130 minutes/week for 30 days, state anxiety and stress scores decreased (compared to controls), and state stress post-intervention was lower than the control group. While the CalmTM study results are encouraging, the financial cost of the for-profit application is a barrier to undergraduate students’ access. Data suggest that most Ontario post-secondary students feel that greater institutional mental health resources are needed (Moghimi et al., 2023), but funding for wellness programs are susceptible to cuts as universities cope with budget constraints (Rushowy, 2024). Therefore, it is essential to create options for effective and affordable academic and mental health supports.
