The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused unexpected and unprecedented disruptions worldwide. University students, especially international students, underwent unique challenges during this volatile era. This secondary quantitative data analysis study aimed to investigate the experiences, stress, adjustment, and ways of coping of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 112 international university students and 112 domestic American university students were included in the statistical analyses. The differences in Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WAYS), COVID-19-related questionnaire, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) between international and domestic students were analyzed using independent samples t-tests. Multiple regression models predicting PSS by SACQ, WAYS, and COVID-19-related questionnaire subscales were estimated for international and domestic students separately. The results showed that international students and American students did not report significant differences in their university adjustment, usage of coping strategy, and perceived stress level during the peak of the pandemic. Additionally, American students reported more factors impacting their perceived stress than international students. Implications of the findings as well as limitations and future directions were discussed.

This study aimed to explore cross-country differences in the characteristics and determinations of self–other risk perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. We distinguished perceived risk to self from perceived risk to others and subdivided risk perceptions into three levels: personal, group, and societal. We focused on the differential impact of multiple communication channels (i.e., interpersonal communication, traditional media exposure, and new media exposure) on risk perceptions at the three levels. A sample of 790 college students completed self-report online questionnaires from May to June 2020, including 498 in China and 292 in the United States. The results showed an “ascending pattern,” revealing that participants perceived higher levels of risk to others than to themselves. In addition, U.S. college students perceived higher risks of COVID-19 than Chinese college students at all levels. As for the relations between communication and risk perceptions, the results revealed that interpersonal communication and traditional media exposure were more effective with Chinese participants, whereas new media exposure was more effective with U.S. participants. Specifically, interpersonal communication was positively associated with risk perceptions at three levels, and the magnitude of the effect was higher in the Chinese group than in the U.S. group. Traditional media exposure increased societal risk perception only for Chinese college students, and new media exposure increased societal risk perception only for U.S. college students. Our findings provide theoretical implications for the characteristics and forming mechanisms of risk perceptions and also provide practical implications for policymakers in the two countries to implement effective measures to foster individuals’ risk perceptions in relation to preventive behaviors.

The COVID-19 outbreak caused global disruptions in all aspects of life. Social distancing regulations were enforced in an attempt to halt virus spread. Universities across the country closed for in-person instruction and activities, transitioning to remote learning. University students faced unprecedented challenges and stressors, especially Asian American students due to COVID-19-associated xenophobic attitudes, harassment, and assault against people of Asian complexions. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences, coping, stress, and adjustment of Asian American students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary analyses were conducted on the survey responses of 207 participants (n = 103 Asian American university students, n = 104 non-Asian American students) from a larger-scale study, which focused on adaptation to the university, perceived stress, ways of coping, and COVID-19-specific factors. A series of independent samples t tests and regression analyses showed significant relationships between some university adjustment factors, ways of coping methods, and race with perceived stress and COVID-19 factors. Implications, limitations, and ideas for future directions in research are discussed.

In addition to the unprecedented challenges and stressors that university students faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian American students experienced specific hardships due to COVID-19-associated xenophobic attitudes, harassment, and assault against people of Asian complexions. This qualitative study aimed to explore the ways in which Asian American university students’ experiences during the pandemic changed their views of their identities as Asian Americans by analyzing in-depth interviews of four case study participants. Secondary analysis of two waves of interviews, which were conducted during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and during a six-month follow-up, and primary analysis of a newly conducted third wave one year after the initial outbreak yielded 12 themes that captured the essence of the Asian American university students’ experience and redefining of their identity during the pandemic. The four participants identified these themes across four categories: Experiences and Events during the Pandemic; Categorization of Asians in America; Confronting Asian Discrimination; and Renewed Sense of Identity. The longitudinal findings revealed direct experiences and perspectives regarding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on Asian communities, as well as the impact of the various social and political events during this time period, such as the Black Lives Matter Movement (2020) and the 2020 US presidential election. The implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Asian American students have experienced additional physical and emotional hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased xenophobic and anti-Asian discrimination. This study investigates different coping patterns and risk factors affecting Asian and non-Asian college students in response to COVID-19 challenges by studying the differences in their responses within four domains after the onset of the pandemic: academic adjustment, emotional adjustment, social support, and discriminatory impacts related to COVID-19. We first employed a machine learning approach to identify well-adjusted and poorly adjusted students in each of the four domains for the Asian and non-Asian groups, respectively. Next, we applied the SHAP method to study the principal risk factors associated with each classification task and analyzed the differences between the two groups. We based our study on a proprietary survey dataset collected from U.S. college students during the initial peak of the pandemic. Our findings provide insights into the risk factors and their directional impact affecting Asian and non-Asian students’ well-being during the pandemic. The results could help universities establish customized strategies to support these two groups of students in this era of uncertainty. Applications for international communities are discussed.