Risk of food and housing insecurity among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of this study was to assess college students' food and housing insecurity risk amidst the pandemic. Data were collected through an online survey in the summer of 2020 from 1956 graduate and undergraduate students attending a large, private, urban university in the Midwest, U.S. Food insecurity among students increased (25% before; 29% during COVID) with housing insecurity staying roughly the same (34% before; 36% during COVID). Results indicate certain student groups were at greater risk of basic needs insecurity during the pandemic compared to their counterparts. Results also suggest changes in food and housing insecurity trends. College students are burdened with basic needs insecurity, exacerbated during the pandemic. Institutions need to work toward solutions to address the needs of vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by basic needs insecurity. Recommendations on addressing the basic needs of college students are also provided.

Predictors of natural mentoring relationships and students' adjustment to college.

Little research exists that examines natural mentoring relationships (NMRs) during the college transition. We examine the role of parental attachment and help-seeking behaviors in students' development of new NMRs and the role NMRs have on students' outcomes. Included in the study were 215 first-year students at a large, urban, private university. Participants completed surveys at the beginning (Time 1) and at the end (Time 2) of the school year. We used structural equation modeling to test a hypothesized model that included predictors (i.e., attachment to parents and help-seeking behaviors) of NMRs and social and academic adjustment in college. Findings show a path relationship connecting the attachment to parents to help-seeking behaviors, and then to the number of reported NMRs. Help-seeking behaviors mediated the association between attachment and NMRs. The number of NMRs is associated with higher social adjustment, but not academic adjustment by the end of students' first year of college. Based on these results, we discuss the theoretical implications of newly formed NMRs and provide guidance for institutional interventions targeting first-year college students to assist with transition challenges.

Anticipation of public speaking in virtual reality reveals a relationship between trait social anxiety and startle reactivity.

BACKGROUND: Startle reflex modification has become valuable to the study of fear and anxiety, but few studies have explored startle reactivity in socially threatening situations. METHODS: Healthy participants ranging in trait social anxiety entered virtual reality (VR) that simulates standing center-stage in front of an audience to anticipate giving a speech and count backward. We measured startle and autonomic reactivity during anticipation of both tasks inside VR after a single baseline recording outside VR. RESULTS: Trait social anxiety, but not general trait anxiety, was positively correlated with startle before entering VR and most clearly during speech anticipation inside VR. Speech anticipation inside VR also elicited stronger physiologic responses relative to anticipation of counting. CONCLUSIONS: Under social-evaluative threat, startle reactivity showed robust relationships with fear of negative evaluation, a central aspect of social anxiety and clinical social phobia. Context-specific startle modification may be an endophenotype for subtypes of pathological anxiety.