A semi-structured interview guide was developed with the aim of quantitatively and

qualitatively assessing the mental health status of college students. Additionally,

the interviews aimed to capture how students were coping with the stress associated
with the pandemic. First, our study assesses participants' global stress levels
using the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS) [18]. PSS is a widely used tool to
measure overall stress over the past month [19]. Participants were then asked
whether their own and their colleagues' stress and anxiety had increased,
decreased, or remained unchanged due to the COVID-19 pandemic (two separate
questions). For those who reported increased stress and anxiety during the
pandemic, we asked about stress management strategies and use of available
psychological counseling services. We then identified pandemic-specific stressors
and their manifestations in 12 academic, health and lifestyle outcome categories,
including: B. Effects on your own and loved ones' health, sleep habits, eating
habits, financial situation, changes in living environment, academic burden, and
social relationships. Students were also asked about the impact of COVID-19 on
depression and suicidal thoughts. These constructs are derived from existing
literature that identifies important factors affecting mental health in college
students [20, 21]. Feedback on the severity of COVID-19 impact on these dimensions
was collected using a four-point scale.
0 (none), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), 3 (severe). Participants were asked to elaborate
further on each answer. Third, participants were instructed to describe typical
semester stressors, coping strategies, and barriers to mental illness treatment
unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some analyzes of the collected data are
currently underway, this paper presents her PSS results and her COVID-19-related
insights.