psychology

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A close shot of the teenager's face wearing face mask showing her eyes with anxiety.

Teens and Anxiety during COVID-19

Author: Sarah Myruski, Ph.D. , Kristin Buss, Ph.D.
Published:

Article Topics: psychology, mental health, children The anxiety, isolation, and uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented emotional challenge. Adolescence is a period of drastic emotional, social, and cognitive development, making this age group particularly vulnerable to the short- and long-term impact of the pandemic on mental health. Teen anxiety prevalence has steadily increased over the past several decades. Nearly 1 in 3 teens meet criteria for an anxiety disorder by age 18, and 70% of teens describe anxiety as a major problem for people their age. The growing pervasiveness of teen anxiety is further…
A college student sitting at the desk alone.

Fostering College Students’ Sense of Belonging Amidst COVID-19

Author: Maithreyi Gopalan, Ph.D. , Shannon Brady, Ph.D.
Published:

Article Topics: education, disparities, mental health, psychology, research “When I first arrived at school as a first-generation college student, I didn’t know anyone on campus except my brother. I didn’t know how to pick the right classes or find the right buildings. I didn’t even bring the right size sheets for my dorm room bed. I didn’t realize those beds were so long. So I was a little overwhelmed and a little isolated” -Michelle Obama (2014) Introduction As illustrated in the quote above, the transition to college has always been challenging. Making new friends. Enrolling in the right classes. Responding to critical feedback from professors. Perhaps…
Two hands reaching out for each other.

COVID-19 and the isolation pandemic

Author: Michael J. Bernstein, Ph.D.
Published:

Article Topics: psychology, mental health The COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe and is still particularly ravaging the United States. Currently, science and medicine are unequivocally clear on how to reduce the risk of transmission – social distancing. Yet this behavior comes with a real cost of reduced social connections and research has shown that losing social connections can be dangerous to both physical and psychological well-being. There is a difficult tradeoff between social distancing to protect ourselves and others from the threat of COVID-19 transmission and the costs of social isolation. Even more problematic,…
A college student sitting in front of her laptop alone, holding her head with hands.

Social Support and Mental Health during COVID-19

Author: Timothy Worley, Ph.D. , Madison Mucci-Ferris
Published:

Article Topics: children, mental health, psychology, survey research Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented source of stress for today’s college students. In addition to the physical health threat COVID-19 poses to students and their loved ones, the psychological impact of the pandemic has been profound, with stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms increasing globally. Research suggests the psychological toll may be especially high for college-aged young adults. Social support, particularly from family members, has been identified as a protective factor against COVID-19-related mental health issues. Examples of social support could…
A closeup shot of a man's face wearing face mask.

Moral Emotions During COVID-19

Author: Daryl Cameron, Ph.D. , Eliana Hadjiandreou, B.A. , Stephen Anderson, M.A. , Julian A. Scheffer, M.A.
Published:

Article Topics: psychology, Pennsylvania, moral emotions As the COVID-19 pandemic is currently surging across the United States, and worldwide, individuals and institutions are debating what can and should be done to protect public health. When it comes to how we navigate this complex landscape, what is the role of how we feel, and how we choose to manage our feelings? At the current moment, with cases increasing in the state of Pennsylvania, how can we use our moral emotions productively? In this blog post, we discuss how people choose to have empathy and moralize mask-wearing in the context of COVID-19. The Role of Moral Emotion Regulation To…