Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
School
Psychology
Advisor
Donna M. Heretick
Abstract
The impact of food insecurity on minority college students is an ongoing concern that reached new importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although researchers have examined food insecurity among college students during COVID-19, they had not explored the role of coping responses among African American college students during the onset of the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate coping responses as mediators between situational stressors (students’ experiences of food insecurity, residential changes, and changes in employment) and academic progress among African American college students during COVID-19. The instruments used for this study were the Brief COPE Inventory, Global Food Insecurity Experience Scale, and the Academic Success Inventory for College Students. A probability sample of 106 African American college students completed an online survey in February and March of 2023. A multiple regression analysis was undertaken to evaluate coping responses as a possible mediator between food insecurity and academic progress during COVID. Higher food insecurity predicted reduced academic progress, but this was mitigated when the students reported more positive coping responses. This study has implications for positive social change because it can alert college administrators and policy makers to the importance of providing emotional and other types of support for African American college students when faced with these unforeseen threats to basic security.
Recommended Citation
Moore, Gloria Brown, "Food and Income Insecurity and Academic Progress Among African American College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14738.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14738
