The COVID-19 pandemic had mainly negative impacts on German university students' mental and physical health, with increased psychological burden connected to helplessness, hopelessness, paralysis, and uncertainty, while correlational analyses showed relationships between perceived negative pandemic impacts and reduced life satisfaction.
Key Findings
Results
The COVID-19 pandemic had mainly negative impacts on mental and physical health among German university students.
Qualitative content analyses were conducted on responses from N = 1892 students across four terms from summer 2020 to winter 2021-2022.
Data were collected cross-sectionally using a qualitatively driven mixed methods approach across four studies.
Participants were German university students assessed during the active COVID-19 pandemic period.
The negative impact encompassed both mental and physical health dimensions.
Results
Increased psychological burden and distress were mainly connected to overwhelming feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, paralysis, and uncertainty about the future.
These themes emerged from qualitative content analyses of N = 1892 student responses.
The psychological burden was specifically attributed to pandemic circumstances.
Feelings identified included helplessness, hopelessness, paralysis, and uncertainty about the future as key qualitative themes.
Results
Students attributed negative health conditions to the shift to digital classes and social isolation.
Both the transition to digital/online learning and social isolation were identified as contributors to negative health outcomes.
These findings emerged from qualitative analyses of student responses across the pandemic period.
The shift to digital classes represented a pandemic-related change in university studies specifically linked to health impacts.
Results
Some students reported positive changes as a result of the pandemic, including feeling less stressed or experiencing personal growth.
Positive changes were a minority finding within the predominantly negative qualitative results.
Specific positive themes included reduced stress and personal growth.
These positive experiences were identified through qualitative content analysis of student responses.
Results
Perceived negative impacts of the pandemic on health were correlated with lower life satisfaction among university students.
Quantitative analyses were conducted using data from N = 3197 students.
Items for quantitative assessment were developed based on the qualitative findings.
The relationship between perceived negative pandemic impacts and life satisfaction was correlational in nature.
The study design was cross-sectional, limiting causal inference.
Methods
Qualitative findings were used to develop new items for quantitatively assessing the perceived health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This represents a mixed methods approach where qualitative results informed quantitative instrument development.
The approach was described as 'qualitatively driven.'
Quantitative data were subsequently collected from N = 3197 students using these newly developed items.
What This Means
This research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic had widespread negative effects on German university students' mental and physical health that went well beyond the direct risks of infection. Across four studies conducted between 2020 and 2022, students frequently described feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, a sense of being paralyzed, and deep uncertainty about their futures. They also linked their worsening health to specific pandemic-related changes: the forced shift to online learning and the social isolation that came with lockdowns and restrictions. A smaller number of students did report some silver linings, such as feeling less pressured or experiencing personal growth during this period.
The researchers used students' own words and experiences to build a survey tool, which they then tested on a larger group of nearly 3,200 students. This quantitative analysis confirmed that students who perceived stronger negative pandemic impacts on their health also tended to report lower life satisfaction. The study spanned multiple waves of the pandemic, capturing how students' experiences evolved over time.
This research suggests that universities are an important setting for health promotion, particularly during crises. The findings highlight the need for pandemic preparedness plans to specifically address the psychological and social needs of student populations, not just physical health risks. The dual approach of listening to students first and then measuring their experiences more broadly offers a model for understanding how large-scale crises affect young adults.
Otten L, Betsch C. (2026). Beyond infection: A mixed methods exploration of university students' perceived health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.. Acta psychologica. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106562