The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on college students with marginalized identities

This study sought to examine whether college students with marginalized identities have been disparately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with regard to perceived stress, social isolation, and pandemic-related concern, and whether this relationship was moderated by self-reported experiences of prejudice and/or discrimination. Nine hundred eighty three college students from 38 of the United States completed an online survey. Results showed that college students who were born after 1997 (i.e., Generation Z), sexual and gender minorities (SGM), and/or black, indigenous and/or people of color (BIPoC) reported more experiences of prejudice and discrimination than their peers as well as higher levels of perceived stress, social isolation, and pandemic-related concern. Furthermore, BIPoC students who also experienced prejudice and/or discrimination reported higher levels of pandemic-related concern than White students. Implications of these findings are discussed, including the need to support college students with marginalized identities as they cope with the short-term and long-term psychosocial impact of the pandemic.