Discussion

Discussion

Study Rationale

Studies on past pandemics and how they relate to anxiety are extensive; however, a noteworthy amount of information is unknown about the relationship between COVID-19 and anxiety. Relevant to the current study is the limited information in the literature about the role of academic transition factors, family factors, and personal factors in the tendency of these individuals to experience anxiety in the midst of COVID-19, a worldwide pandemic. Although

few studies explored stress and anxiety as they relate to COVID-19, virtually no studies at this time explored academic transition factors, family factors, and personal factors in higher education as those factors predict anxiety. Consequently, the current investigation explored numerous predictors of college students’ and faculty members’ anxiety levels in the midst of transitioning from face-to-face to online learning and teaching amidst emergency and safety responses to COVID-19.

Support of Past Research

Academic Transition Factors

The results of the present study supported the hypothesis that academic transition factors would predict anxiety in college students with 2.5% of the variance accounted for by the number of face-to-face classes that transitioned to an online format. When the number of applied courses was added to the model, the variance remained at 2.5%, thus suggesting that the number of applied courses unexpectedly did not predict anxiety levels. Although significant, the relationship between anxiety levels and number of face-to-face classes that transitioned to an online format was weak. These findings suggest that other academic transition factors may have also predicted anxiety levels in college students amidst COVID-19. Nonetheless, the current findings suggest that having a large number of online classes to transition to was a potential stressor in students’ lives as they experienced the initial stages of a pandemic crisis. Surprisingly and unexpectedly, neither the number of face-to-face classes transitioned to an online format nor the number of applied courses being taught predicted anxiety among faculty members. A possible explanation is that most faculty members were already teaching online courses thus making the transition potentially smoother than in other institutions of higher education that did not offer online courses prior to COVID-19, but had to transition to an online teaching format after COVID-19.

Family Factors

The results of the present study supported the hypothesis that various family factors would predict anxiety in college students with 6.8% of the variance accounted for by having someone in the household at high risk for COVID-19 (5.3%), the number of people in the household (1.1%), having a family member who has an essential position in the community (0.7%), and homeschooling children (0.1%). Among all of the predictors, having someone in the household at high risk for COVID-19 was the strongest predictor of anxiety among college students. These findings support past research, which showed that having a family member who was critically ill with H1N1 predicted stress and death anxiety (Elizarraras-Rivas et al., 2010); moreover, the current news about some family members, particularly those with underlying health conditions, being more at risk for the adverse health effects of COVID-19 seems to be a likely contributor to individuals’ anxieties about not wanting their family members who are at high risk to become infected with the virus. Surprisingly and unexpectedly, virtually no family factors in the current investigation predicted anxiety among faculty members. A possible explanation is that most faculty members experienced enough stability to effectively cope with and manage family-related factors that would seemingly be associated with anxiety amidst a global pandemic like COVID-19.

Personal Factors

The results of the present study supported the hypothesis that various personal factors would predict anxiety in college students with 5.3% of the variance accounted for by age (3.5%), self-quarantining in the past two weeks (1.1%), self-identification as introverted or extroverted (0.9%), and having an essential position in the community (0.03%). Being a front-line medical worker was not significant in the model. Unlike what might be expected from information in the media about how older individuals are at greater risk from adverse health effects of COVID-19 than younger individuals, the current findings showed that among college students who ranged in age from 18 to 72 with the vast majority of students between the ages of 18 and 27 and only one students per age range for ages 63 to 67 and 68 to 72, as age increased anxiety decreased. The current finding however support past research that showed that among primary care patients, older individuals reported less worry than younger individuals, and the researcher noted that older individuals still experience anxiety, but the manifestation of anxiety in older individuals may less likely be in the form of worry (Brenes, 2006). In addition although the literature shows that among college students increased extraversion relates to decreased anxiety (e.g. Akhter & Ibrahimi, 2015), the current investigation expected that introversion would predict less anxiety in the midst of social distancing due to the greater need for social interaction to cope among individuals who are more extraverted, but instead, the current findings supported past research by revealing that individuals who identified themselves as extraverted had less anxiety than individuals who identified themselves as introverted, so while the findings were significant, the direction of those findings was unexpected in the context of social distancing due to COVID-19. In summary, all personal factors, except being a frontline medical personnel, were significant predictor of anxiety among college students. On the contrary and unexpectedly, virtually no personal factors in the current investigation predicted anxiety among faculty members. A possible explanation is that most faculty members experienced enough stability to effectively cope with and manage personal factors that would seemingly be associated with anxiety amidst a global pandemic.

References

Akhter, S., & Ibrahimi, F. (2015). Why are some people more anxious than other? The role of

neuroticism and extraversion personality traits on anxiety. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 318-320.

Brenes, G. A. (2006). Age differences in the presentation of anxiety. Aging and Mental Health,

10, 298-302.

Elizarraras-Rivas, J, Vargus-Mendoza, J. E., Mayoral-Garcia, M., Matadamas-Zarate, C.,

Elizarraras-Cruz, A., Taylor, M. et al. (2010). Psychological response of family members of patients hospitalized for influenza A/H1N1 in Oaxaca, Mexico. BMC Psychiatry, 10, 1-9.