First-Year Undergraduates: Negative Thinking, Mindful Nonjudging, and Resources Partially Accounted for the Dispositional Threat Appraisal – Depression Symptom Severity Relationship Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic and Across Generational Status.

Presenter: Brianna D. Riggin

Group Members: Grace E. Nelligan, Mikaila K. Kruck, Monica V. Lima

Faculty Sponsor: Champika Soysa

School: Worcester State University

Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

Session: Poster Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, 163, C11

ABSTRACT

Cognitive theories have established a relationship between person-environment interactions and emotional states (Turner, 2022). In the COVID-19 Pandemic environment, mental distress in college-aged individuals was higher than in the general adult population (Jia et al., 2021). The interrelationships between dispositional threat appraisal, perseverative negative thinking (PNT), mindful nonjudging (MNJ), and the perception of available resources have not been examined together in relation to depression symptom severity, either using the COVID-19 Pandemic as a point of reference or by comparing these patterns in first (FGCS) and continuing generation (CGCS) college students. Advancing the literature, the present study examined PNT, MNJ, and resources as mechanisms that account for the dispositional threat appraisal – depression symptom severity relationship, in N=477 First-year undergraduates (Pre-COVID N=49%; First Gen=42%), three years before the COVID-19 Pandemic and four years after it, as well as in FGCS and CGCS. Data were collected in-person using questionnaire protocols. PNT, MNJ, and resources significantly, partially accounted for the threat appraisal – depression symptom severity relationship both pre- and post-COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as in both FGCS and CGCS, supporting our hypotheses. In all instances, dispositional threat appraisal had a significant, direct effect on depression symptom severity. There was no significant difference in the effects of PNT, MNJ, and resources either pre- and post-COVID or between FGCS and CGCS. These findings suggested that clinical interventions addressing PNT, MNJ, and available resources could decrease depression symptom severity in college students in the context of dispositional threat perception.