Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology (Jan 2022)

Cortisol awakening response among Latinx and Black students transitioning to college prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • Yolanda Vasquez-Salgado,
  • Shu-Sha Angie Guan,
  • Dianna Alvarado,
  • Julia Salcedo,
  • Amanda Thwaits,
  • Cathy Quach,
  • Jean Pauline Serrano,
  • Joanna Ramirez,
  • Claudia M. Toledo-Corral

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3
p. 100043

Abstract

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Globally, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has resulted in abrupt shifts in ecological and social environments, including school contexts, which became predominately virtual. This study (1) examines the role of the COVID-19 pandemic (transitioning to college prior to vs. during the COVID-19 pandemic) on cortisol awakening response (CAR) – a biological marker of chronic psychosocial stress – and university belonging among Latinx and Black first-year college students; and (2) explores whether university belonging serves as a mediator in the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and CAR. Latinx and Black students who were in their first semester at a four-year public university in Los Angeles County – one of the United States' hot spots for COVID-19, were recruited for this study. Across two separate cohorts (fall 2019, fall 2020), participants (N = 136) completed an online survey and provided salivary samples to assess for morning cortisol levels. Findings revealed that students who transitioned to college during the COVID-19 pandemic exhibited a flatter CAR and lower levels of belonging than students who transitioned to college prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for intervention, programs and policies aimed at fostering positive transitions to college during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are discussed.

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