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

doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2022.100043

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

Curr Res Ecol Soc Psychol. 2022:3:100043. doi: 10.1016/j.cresp.2022.100043. Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Authors

Yolanda Vasquez-Salgado^{1

2}, Shu-Sha Angie Guan^{3

2}, Dianna Alvarado^{1

2}, Julia Salcedo^{1

2}, Amanda Thwaits^{1

2}, Cathy Quach^{1

2}, Jean Pauline Serrano^{1

2}, Joanna Ramirez^{3

2}, Claudia M Toledo-Corral^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, California State University, Northridge, CA, United States.
² Health Equity Research & Education (HERE) Center, California State University, Northridge, CA, United States.
³ Department of Child and Adolescent Development, California State University, Northridge, CA, United States.
⁴ Department of Health Sciences, California State University, Northridge, CA, United States.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Black students; COVID-19 pandemic; Cortisol awakening response; Latinx students; Transition to college; University belonging.

Abstract

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