Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Higher Education Students in Israel: What Are the Vulnerability Factors?

Background and Purpose: Students in higher education have faced abrupt changes following the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surprised and unprepared, they had to adjust quickly to significant health, social, economic, and academic changes, all of which put a heavy toll on students. These challenges did not affect all parts of the population equally. Minority groups worldwide were much more affected by greater infection rates, financial crises, and mental health difficulties. In Israel, the larger minority group is Israeli Arabs. Undergraduate students may also be more vulnerable than graduate students. Based on the Conservation of Resources theory and the socio-ecological model of "schools in evolving contexts," this study aimed to examine the level of depression and anxiety among Israeli students and to examine the personal, interpersonal, and contextual risk factors for depression and anxiety in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research Questions: (1) Are economic and educational difficulties associated with students' depressive and anxiety symptoms after adjusting for background and health variables? (2) Do Arab undergraduate and graduate students experience higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms than Jewish and undergraduate and graduate students?

Methods: All students from six (of eight) research universities in Israel (N=111,684) were approached. The sample included 18,689 (16.7% response rate) and was weighted to increase representativeness. Forty-four percent (44.2%) were males, 55.5% females, and 0.3% other. The median age was 26. Sixteen percent of the sample were Arab students. The study design was a cross-sectional survey. GAD7 and PHQ-9 measured anxiety and depression, respectively. Data collection was carried through an anonymous online survey. A link to the questionnaire in Hebrew and Arabic was sent to each student through their university students' dean's office.

Results: 17.2% of the students reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, and 34.7% of the students reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Females and undergraduates reported a higher level of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Moreover, gender discrepancies were greater for undergraduate students than graduate one. Arab students reported a higher level of anxiety and depression than their Jewish counterparts. The differences between Jewish and Arab students in their level of anxiety (but not depression) were higher among undergraduate than graduate students. COVID-related concerns, economic constraints, and educational difficulties were significantly associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms above and beyond background variables and health status. The regression model explained 27% of the variance of anxiety and 29% of the variance of depressive symptoms.

Conclusions and Implications: The findings indicate that many students experience high levels of depression and anxiety. Future research should be responsive to changes in the characteristics of the pandemic and ways universities are functioning (e.g.., online-only, hybrid). There is a need for provision of services for higher education students as an integral part of maintaining and supporting effective academic activity. Arab students, especially in the undergraduate programs, should be a priority in resource allocation.