Abstract

A pandemic can be described as an epidemic disease that has spread over a large geographical area and has become prevalent in numerous sectors of the globe. In 2020, just over 100 years since our last major pandemic, the 1918 Influenza outbreak, the global community is facing yet another threat: COVID-19. While an individual’s physical health has consistently been of concern, research has failed to adequately consider the other dimensions of health. Among these additional dimensions of health is mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

Pandemics and emerging infectious diseases have become modern influencers of mental health patterns. By analyzing the history of pandemics, like the Spanish Flu, or novel viruses such as Ebola or COVID-19, health care practitioners and other community leaders will come to better understand the correlation between a pandemic and reported mental health status of a community’s members. This will improve future mental health education programs and interventions.

The core focus of this thesis project will be to analyze the correlation between COVID-19 and the self-reported mental health status of Eastern Kentucky University students. While many interdisciplinary academics agree that this novel virus has affected the mental health of college students, the depth and breadth of this impact is still unknown.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 5-2021

Mentor

Molly A. McKinney

Mentor Department Affiliation

Health Promotion and Administration

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Health Promotion and Administration

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

#3676

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