Experience of Quebec Student Communities During the First Wave of COVID-19: Challenges Encountered by Students from Different Social Groups
Studies conducted since the beginning of the pandemic show its consequences on the psychological health of students, but a blind spot remains: the impact of health measures on their living conditions. A Web questionnaire including questions on the changes and new challenges observed since the beginning of the pandemic concerning 1) their daily life and relationships with their loved ones, 2) their living conditions, and 3) their state of health and well-being was distributed in six institutions of the Université du Québec network between April 27 and May 8, 2020. Each of the sections included multiple choice and essay questions. Comparative analyses were conducted on 413 questionnaires between the different social groups, which proved to be insignificant. Of these, 394 students also provided responses to all of the essay questions, which reveal that students with disabilities, students with one or more children, and international students considered themselves more affected than their peers. The 176 students who identified with at least one of these three groups then formed a sub-sample that was compared to the other participants. Students in all three groups 1) felt that their institution’s communications left them out; 2) were particularly vulnerable in terms of housing; 3) were facing specific issues related to their risk management with respect to potential COVID-19 contamination; 4) were using public transportation more often, which made their access to basic necessities more complex; 5) saw their health status decline in the context of a more complex daily life and reduced access to services; and 6) were overwhelmed by the heaviness of daily tasks. The results suggest that the students in the groups concerned found themselves in a spiral where precarious living conditions increased the complexity of daily life and the erosion of social ties, and, reinforcing each other, led to a deterioration in their state of health (especially mental health).