“Trying to be positive in the face of the storm”: The experiences of independent college students during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic created multiple stressors for college students, particularly for young adults experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage. Little is known about the pandemic experiences of independent college students, many of whom are emancipated minors, former wards of the state, and other students who lack familial financial and practical support as they pursue higher education. Twenty‐three independent students, ages 18–23, from one northeastern university were interviewed to understand how independent students were affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic, and their needs for support from the university during this time. Most participants were identified as Black or Latinx, and two thirds were first‐generation college students. Participants reported an overall lack of support from their families prior to the pandemic. During the pandemic, they experienced compounding academic, economic, and mental health‐related stressors. Students responded to these stressors in resilient and resourceful ways, by adapting to their new realities, expressing gratitude, and finding opportunities for self‐growth. Participants recommend that institutions of higher education support independent students during periods of emergency through providing financial assistance, offering opportunities for connection with both adults and peers, and demonstrating administrative flexibility and understanding of their unique needs.

1. INTRODUCTION

In the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic, directives to shelter‐in‐place required residents to stay home aside from grocery shopping, medical visits, and employment defined as essential (Dave et al., 2021). The effects of shelter‐in‐place requirements created unique challenges for vulnerable youth and young adults, including college students from historically underserved groups such as independent students (Ruff et al., 2022). Independent students include students who were formerly in foster care, wards of the court, emancipated minors, or those who have no living parents (Cruse et al., 2018). This study examined the impact of the pandemic on a group of independent undergraduate students at one university in the northeastern United States.

1.1. College students and the COVID‐19 pandemic

For college students in the United States, the pandemic required rapid adjustment to remote learning, changes in living environments, and declines or losses of employment (Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022). Students also contended with the isolation resulting from social distancing, as well as concerns about their own health and that of their loved ones (López‐Castro et al., 2021; Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022). The economic, academic, and emotional impacts of the pandemic further aggravated the mental health of youth and young adults, which had been worsening even before the pandemic began (Murthy, 2021).

During the pandemic, college students reported concerns over changes in living arrangements and daily routines (Farris et al., 2021; Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022). Students were affected academically, due to the difficulty adjusting to online learning, trying to focus on school‐related activities in a home environment, and worrying about the pandemic while still needing to complete school assignments (Farris et al., 2021). Students experienced elevated levels of anxiety, depression, boredom, worry, sleep disturbances, and feelings of hopelessness (Browning et al., 2021; Elmer et al., 2020; López‐Castro et al., 2021; Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022).

Students who are members of marginalized communities, including racially and ethnically minoritized groups, LGBTQ+ youth, low‐income youth, homeless youth, and youth involved with the child welfare system, among others, were disproportionately negatively affected by the pandemic (Murthy, 2021; Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022; Ruff & Linville, 2021). Compared with White and Asian college students, Black and Latinx students were more likely to report the loss of a loved one in the first months of the pandemic (Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022). A survey of over 4000 college students in New York and New Jersey during the first months of the pandemic, when the region was the country's epicentre of infections and deaths, shows the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on marginalized populations. While 49% of the students surveyed lost employment or had work hours reduced, Black and Latinx students were more likely to report that the pandemic had a severe financial impact on them and a severe concern about the ability to afford food (Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022). These findings emphasize the need to understand the pandemic experiences of students who navigated multiple forms of disadvantage.

1.2. Independent college students

One such group of college students are independent students. Independent students meet at least one of the following criteria: At least 24 years old; married; have legal dependents other than a spouse; graduate or professional student; veteran; member of armed forces; emancipated minor; homeless or at risk of becoming homeless; orphan; in foster care; or ward of the court (Cruse et al., 2018). These students, who are disproportionately women and students of colour, carry more financial and familial obligations than dependent students and are more likely to be living in poverty (Cruse et al., 2018). Most of the extant literature on independent students focuses on foster care alumni, who represent one subset of independent students. Research on independent students shows that many report academic challenges, housing instability, financial insecurity, residual trauma, and ongoing mental health needs (Hines et al., 2005; Opsal & Eman, 2018). In particular, foster care alumni may have less parental support in their efforts to navigate the university as college students (Amechi, 2020). Some independent students report feeling academically and emotionally underprepared for college (Skobba et al., 2018), and many find higher education alienating and isolating (Opsal & Eman, 2018). These students may also struggle with asking for help, preferring instead to rely on themselves when they encounter challenges, a concept referred to as survivalist self‐reliance (Samuels & Pryce, 2008).

1.3. Foster Care alumni and the COVID‐19 pandemic

Scholars recognized that marginalized youth were at heightened risk during the pandemic, owing to additional difficulties meeting basic needs, economic uncertainty, potential for negative family interactions, and more limited access to resources (Amechi, 2020; Silliman Cohen & Bosk, 2020). Preliminary research on the experiences of foster care alumni during the pandemic has identified numerous adverse effects on young people's education, employment, housing, finances, and physical and mental health (Greeson et al., 2020; Ruff & Linville, 2021). In April 2020, Greeson et al. (2020) surveyed 281 youth ages 18 to 23 with histories of foster care involvement. Over half (55%) reported food insecurity, and nearly half (48%) reported adverse effects on their employment. In addition, nearly half reported negative impacts on their housing situations, with 7% reported “couch surfing” or being homeless due to COVID‐19. More than half of the respondents reported increased symptoms of depression and anxiety; a third reported wishing they had more connections with people.

Due to the digital divide and inequitable access to broadband internet, technology, and quiet spaces to work, college students who are foster care alumni experienced additional burdens during the pandemic (Amechi, 2020). Two thirds of respondents in Greeson et al.'s (2020) survey reported that their educational progress was negatively impacted by the pandemic, with 31% reporting that they lost access to academic supports, such as tutoring, internet access, and financial aid counselling, among others. A different survey of youth with histories of foster care involvement found that compared with prepandemic, more youth were disconnected from both school and employment (Rosenberg et al., 2022).

Ruff and Linville (2021) surveyed 127 youth ages 18–26 with histories of foster care placement in May and June 2020 about their experiences of shelter‐in‐place pandemic requirements. Participants reported concerns about financial stability, physical health, social support, relational and psychological well‐being, and attaining professional goals due to the pandemic. Most participants indicated that they had lost employment or had their hours reduced due to COVID‐19; some faced financial strain and were at risk of homelessness; and many described intensified symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Moreover, young people reported decreased access to critical resources, such as transportation and childcare assistance, due to shelter‐in‐place mandates and social distancing regulations. When asked what resources they needed to support their physical, financial, social, psychological and relational well‐being, participants' responses primarily focused on tangible resources (especially financial resources) and support for self‐agency in the form of employment support, healthy living support, social connection, and advocacy for foster care alumni (Ruff et al., 2022).

The findings described above provide preliminary evidence for the negative effects of the pandemic on youth with foster care backgrounds. Existing studies draw primarily on quantitative surveys to identify the challenges experienced by youth with histories of foster care involvement, as well as college students from marginalized communities. However, there is little in‐depth qualitative data available to date on the pandemic experiences of these populations. As part of a formative evaluation of a campus support programme for independent students, we interviewed 23 independent students from one university. The research question guiding this analysis was as follows: How were independent students at one university affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic, and how did they cope with it? This study sought to understand the experiences of independent students during the pandemic and their needs for support from the university during this time.

2. METHODS

The current study draws on qualitative interviews with 23 undergraduate independent students ages 18–23 enrolled in a university in one northeastern state. These interviews were conducted as part of a formative programme evaluation of a campus support programme for independent students at one university. The goal of the formative evaluation was to understand the programme's strengths and challenges, as perceived by students and staff, and to offer recommendations for programme development. Qualitative methods are suitable for gathering nuanced experiences from multiple perspectives with the goal of improving a programme's functioning (Royse et al., 2006). As interviews took place during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic, students were also asked questions about the impact of the pandemic on their college experiences.

Students were eligible to participate in the study if they responded affirmatively to the following question on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form: “At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?” These students were the target population of the campus support programme, representing a subset of the larger category of independent students. The Office of the Dean of Students provided the researchers with a list of email addresses for eligible independent students. Participation in the campus support programme was not an eligibility requirement for this study. A recruitment flier was then emailed to all eligible students; those who expressed interest in participation were contacted by members of the research team to confirm eligibility and explain the study procedures. Individual, in‐depth interviews were conducted virtually (i.e., through Zoom) from December 2020 to April 2021. Interviews lasted 40 min on average (ranging from 19 to 73 min). Each interview was conducted by one faculty member and one graduate assistant. Prior to the interview, participants completed an electronic consent form and a brief demographic survey, along with several questions about the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on various life domains. Students received a $40 gift card as compensation for their participation. Study procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) affiliated with the authors' university.

A semistructured interview guide with 12 main questions was used to explore students' experiences with the campus support programme, both prior to and during the COVID‐19 pandemic, along with their relationships with programme staff and other students. Additionally, students were asked about the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on their education, employment, finances, housing, and physical and mental health, along with the support and resources they need to successfully navigate college during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The study's two principal investigators developed the interview protocol, drawing from the existing literature on the experiences of foster care alumni in college. We shared the interview guide with the staff of the campus support programme, who offered feedback and suggested additional questions. The protocol evolved slightly over time, as the research team met regularly to debrief after interviews. The interview protocol is available from the authors by request. Student interviews were audio‐recorded, naturalistically transcribed verbatim, and checked for accuracy prior to analysis. All names in the analysis are pseudonyms.

2.1. Students' characteristics

While many independent students in the United States are 24 years or older, these participants were all undergraduate students aged 18 to 23 years (see Table 1 for details). The majority (65.2%; n = 15) identified as women. Nine students identified as Black, seven students identified as Latinx, and seven students identified as White. Students came from a variety of majors and years of college, with an average, self‐reported GPA of approximately 3.0. Seven students reported histories of foster care, two were wards of the court but did not disclose foster care histories, and the rest (n = 14) reported independent status because they were not in contact with their biological or adoptive parents, or their parents were deceased. Two thirds (n = 16) of students were the first in their families to attend college. Over half (n = 13) of participants resided on campus during the school year, whereas the rest resided off‐campus. When asked about typical living arrangements during the summer break, nearly 40% (n = 9) reported that they remained on campus.

TABLE 1.

Participant characteristics (N = 23)

Characteristic	n (%) or mean (range)
Age	19.83 (18–23)
Race and ethnicity
Non‐Hispanic Black	9 (39.1%)
Non‐Hispanic White	7 (30.4%)
Hispanic or Latinx (any race)	7 (30.4%)
Sex
Male	8 (34.8%)
Female	15 (65.2%)
Year in school
Freshman	8 (34.8%)
Sophomore	5 (21.7%)
Junior	5 (21.7%)
Senior	5 (21.7%)
Independent status type
History of foster care	7 (30.4%)
Dependent or ward of the court a	2 (8.7%)
Other independent status	14 (60.9%)
First generation college student
Yes	16 (69.6%)
No	6 (26.1%)
Unknown	1 (4.3%)
Living arrangement: School year
Campus dormitory	13 (56.5%)
Other stable housing b	9 (39.1%)
Unstable housing c	1 (4.3%)
Living arrangement: Summer
Campus dormitory	9 (39.1%)
Other stable housing	11 (47.8%)
Unstable housing	3 (13.0%)
Negative effects from COVID‐19
Educational attainment/progress	16 (69.6%)
Employment situation	16 (69.6%)
Housing	12 (52.2%)
Mental health	15 (62.2%)
Physical health	4 (17.4%)

^a Student was dependent or ward of the court but has not disclosed foster care history.

^b Stable housing includes permanent living arrangements with family, partner, roommate, friend, and so forth.

^c Unstable housing includes “couch surfing,” or a temporary living arrangement with friends or relatives.

Quantitative data about the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic showed that 69.6% (n = 16) of students reported negative effects on their educational attainment, such as grades or enrolment status. Furthermore, 69.6% (n = 16) reported negative effects on employment, such as layoffs and other work disruptions. Over half (n = 12) reported negative effects on housing, including disruption of campus or other housing, and risk of eviction and homelessness. Lastly, 62.2% (n = 15) reported negative effects from the pandemic on their mental health; less than 20% (n = 4) indicated that their physical health was negatively affected.

2.2. Analytic strategy

We employed a structured thematic analysis approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006), with two data analysts per transcript and bi‐weekly peer debriefing. Each analyst read half of the transcripts and generated an initial list of codes. Codes were drawn from participants' words as well as sensitizing concepts from the literature (Padgett, 2008) on foster care alumni, such as the concept of survivalist self‐reliance (Samuels & Pryce, 2008). One example of an in‐vivo code was “silver lining,” which reflected students' own identification of unexpected benefits during the pandemic. The research team combined the provisional codes into a standardized code list consisting of 27 codes, which was used to code all the transcripts. Each transcript was coded by two different analysts, and codes were compared to identify any discrepancies. The research team discussed and resolved discrepancies through a process of consensus building. During this process, some of the original codes were revised to better reflect the data on student responses to the pandemic. After this first cycle of coding, the second cycle involved organizing the codes into higher order themes and subthemes (Braun & Clarke, 2006). For example, in this round of coding, codes such as “could have been worse” and “silver lining” were grouped under the broader theme of “gratitude.” Initial themes and subthemes were evaluated against the data; themes that did not fit the data were discarded.

We employed several strategies to ensure the rigour and trustworthiness of the qualitative analysis (Padgett, 2008). Having multiple coders for each transcript allowed for triangulation of analysts (Padgett, 2008). Each analyst kept memos of coding decisions to create an audit trail, and the PIs kept a log tracking decisions regarding coding and interpretation of findings. Negative case analysis was also employed to evaluate examples that did not fit the proposed themes. The research team met biweekly for peer debriefing and reflections on the process of data analysis. We also invited all student participants to participate in member checking; five participants met with the two principal investigators who shared findings from the data analysis and asked participants for feedback. During these meetings, participants affirmed the credibility of the study's key findings.

2.3. Positionality

Our research team included two university professors and four graduate research assistants, two of whom assisted with all stages of data collection and analysis for this study, and two who assisted with the review of the literature and data analysis. All six of this study's team members were female; three were White, two were Black, and one was Latina. None of us have lived experience in the foster care system, although several of us have research and work experience that seek to understand the relational and developmental experiences of foster care alumni and other system‐involved youth. In addition, the graduate research assistants were all students during the COVID‐19 pandemic, some as first‐generation university students, which informed our work in identifying themes and subthemes in the findings. Our beliefs about the importance of listening to young people in their own words, as well as our social work values of social justice and the importance of human relationships shaped this research. We practiced reflexivity throughout this study, to reflect on our experiences during data collection and analysis.

3. RESULTS

We grouped the findings into four broad themes (see Table 2). The first theme, “Pre‐Pandemic Context,” describes the context of participants' lives prepandemic as independent students. The second theme, “Pandemic Impact,” describes the many stressors they reported navigating during the pandemic. The third theme, “Student Responses,” describes the variety of ways that participants coped with the challenges of the pandemic. The fourth and final theme, “Support Needs,” reflects participants' recommendations for universities. Participants are identified by pseudonyms and status: “FC” for students who are foster care alumni or wards of the court, and “IS” for students who are independent by virtue of parental estrangement or death.

TABLE 2.

Descriptions and examples of themes from interviews with independent students (N = 23)

Theme	Description	Sample quote
Prepandemic context: Lack of support	Lack of support (financial, emotional, and/or practical) from family in navigating college	“We're independent. So it's hard going to family for help and dealing with our personal situations. So to be at school is like an outlet for us.”
Pandemic impact: Academic	Decreased motivation or grades negatively impacted; difficulties with remote instruction	“It's just overall been really difficult but with my academics, I've really been struggling with being able to focus and have motivation.”
Mental health	New or existing mental health issues exacerbated by the pandemic	“It's just such a heavy toll on my mental health.”
Financial	Stress due to lost work or income, difficulties covering expenses	“My financial situation has never been really that good, but it got a little bit worse”
Housing	Housing instability precipitated by the pandemic, such as needing to move, concerns about losing housing, being evicted	“My biggest fear was losing my housing. Just because that's just such a necessity for me.”
Social	Difficulties living on campus during the pandemic; homesick; missing usual social interactions with peers	“I like to go out and hang out with my friends. So not being able to do that … it just felt kind of bad.”
Intersecting stressors	Multiple stressors that compound (e.g. scholarships depend on GPA; housing instability affects academic performance; etc.)	“If I'm not doing well in a class. I will not receive any money. And if I don't receive money, then I won't have funding for college at all.”
Campus closure	Absence of usual campus activities (programmes) and resources (housing, library, quiet space, meals)	“Telling a student that where they have been living suddenly cannot be there anymore is very frustrating and kind of heartbreaking.”
Student responses to the pandemic: Adapting	Finding ways to adjust or acclimate to the new pandemic reality, including online learning	“We've had no choice but to adapt to our situation. So whatever routine or ways we do now we're used to.”
Gratitude	Appreciation for financial assistance; recognition that things could have been worse	“I haven't found myself like sick in any nature, thank God.”
Growth in adversity	Spending time on self‐care, personal growth, or nurturing relationships	“My physical health maybe improved because I started getting more into fitness and … doing more workouts”
Pandemic support needs: Connection	Opportunity to connect with supportive adults as well as peers	“If people are feeling more anxious and depressed through this pandemic, they need someone to talk to help get them through what they're dealing with”
Assistance	Financial and other forms of practical assistance	“If they had a way to help students find more scholarships”
Flexibility and understanding	Flexible institutional and course policies in the wake of the pandemic	“For everyone just to be a bit more relaxed a little bit. Because it is pandemic, you know, it's really like uncharted territory”

3.1. Prepandemic context: Lack of support

In discussing the needs of independent students, most participants (n = 15) described lacking support from family in navigating the ordinary challenges of being a college student, even before the pandemic. Victoria (age 19, IS) explained, “usually people that are in college … [are] preparing to be independent, but I already am independent basically … my mom and dad don't send me money, you know, like things like that.” Participants discussed the challenges of being a college student without adequate financial, emotional, or practical support from family. Alexis (age 21, FC) explained, “as an independent student I kind of felt like in the dark, like, I wasn't able to ask any of my friends any questions cause nobody's in the same situation as me.” These participants had to adapt to the new realities of being undergraduate students without much of the financial or practical support traditionally provided by parents or caregivers. Some participants, like Jade (age 18, FC) looked to school to provide some of this support: “We're independent. So it's hard going to family for help and dealing with our personal situations. So to be at school is like an outlet for us.”

3.2. Pandemic impact

In the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic, participants' lives were impacted in myriad and often intersecting ways: academically, emotionally, financially, and socially.

3.2.1. Academic

Many students (n = 18) identified challenges in the emergency pivot to remote instruction. Participants described feeling unmotivated in online courses and struggling to retain information and connect with professors and other students. Sydney (age 22, FC), said, “My grades dropped because the whole virtual thing was not working out.”

3.2.2. Mental health

The vast majority of participants (n = 19) also identified mental health impacts of the pandemic. Some described developing new mental health challenges. For example, Alexis (age 21, FC) noted: “once school ended in May, I was kind of really bored and just got into my own thoughts … I wasn't in the best state and I had never experienced that before.” Others described how the pandemic exacerbated existing mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and ADHD.

3.2.3. Financial

Finally, most participants (n = 20) were economically impacted through lost income and reduced employment opportunities. Jordan (age 20, IS) described the difficult financial impact of her losing both of her part‐time jobs:

I relied on those jobs to, you know, pay for my textbooks, pay for school, or at least help get groceries. I also send money to my dad sometimes, too … But losing my job, and then him also being at half pay was a really hard hit on us financially. We had to sell a lot of our stuff because we just didn't have the money to make the rent or buy groceries for us.

3.2.4. Housing

In addition to these stressors, participants also described the impact of the pandemic on their housing. Seven participants identified difficulties making rent or other forms of housing instability. Elijah (age 20, IS) described the stress of uncertain housing in this way:

I moved to my grandparents' house and then moved to my great grandparents' house for a little bit. And then until I finally got settled down to my own place … just trying to figure out what, where I was going to be at … that's really the instability of it. Just not having a place really to lay down comfortably for a long time.

3.2.5. Social

Participants also reported being socially impacted by the pandemic, particularly new students who had trouble meeting others and making new friends during the initial months of the pandemic. Kayla (age 18, FC), expressed frustration as a first‐year college student that “with COVID and … having to go to class through Zoom, it's been really hard to be able to make new friends and talk to new people.”

3.2.6. Intersecting stressors

For some participants (n = 8), the impact of the pandemic on their academics, finances, housing, and mental health intersected and compounded their stress, making an already difficult experience even more tenuous. Jordan (age 20, IS) described the intersection of multiple stressors for her:

You know, telling a student that where they have been living suddenly cannot be there anymore is very frustrating and kind of heartbreaking … so it's been it's been financially difficult, too. Even with getting groceries and things like that. And again, paying for my textbooks, I was only able to buy maybe one or two textbooks … So, on top of just not being able to really learn because I don't have the resources to be able to do that, I also have to worry about my dad and if he gets sick, what am I gonna do, you know, because I will literally have no one after that.

Others described how their academic challenges during the pandemic jeopardized scholarships and other vital sources of funding for their tuition. Natalia (age 19, IS), described trying to regain her previous campus‐based employment on campus: “I went back to the job I had before, but since I had messed up my GPA so badly, they had to let me go, cause it was a student run organization.” Brandon (age 19, FC) described the intersection of the isolation, academic challenges, and mental health challenges during the pandemic:

It just absolutely destroyed my academic experience. I kind of want to drop out now …. I've been on campus by myself in this small ass room since winter break last year. And it was just terrible. … I'm going to fail two classes this year, this semester. And it's not COVID‐19 fault. It's my fault for not doing the work. I just, I think being in this room by myself all day, it just got to me and I just didn't care anymore.

3.2.7. Campus closure

The emergency pivot to remote instruction and the closure of the university campus during the first months of the pandemic was particularly challenging for some independent students, who depended on campus buildings for internet access or housing. Hannah (age 21, FC) emphasized this need:

Being on campus and everything, having access to a library or quiet spaces and stuff like that is definitely important … or just having access to meals, knowing that a place is open for a definite amount of time a day … is definitely number one.

Others noted that their home environment was not always conducive to online learning. Andrea (age 20, FC) described the challenges of her leaving her campus residence to reside full‐time with her foster mother: “I was just home every day all day and she was going out to work. And then when she came back, we just found more stuff to argue about and not see eye to eye on.” Additionally, students who remained on campus struggled with the isolating impact of new pandemic restrictions. For example, Chris (age 19, IS), reported: “In school, I will see more of my friends and in the cafeteria and I will sit down with them, but now it's just different, we have to eat in our rooms.”

3.3. Student responses to the pandemic

Participants responded to the stressors of the pandemic in a variety of ways, which we grouped into three broad subthemes: adapting, gratitude, and growth in a time of adversity.

3.3.1. Adapting

In the analysis, eight students' responses were categorized as “adapting.” Some students (n = 5) described their efforts to “continue pushing forward.” For example, Jade (age 18, FC), explained: “We've had no choice but to adapt to our situation. So whatever routine or ways we do now we're used to.” Matthew (age 20, FC) expressed it this way:

Even though the pandemic has affected my life I was made my very, very best to adjust myself to it, because … we got to keep going, you know whether the pandemic is here, sometimes crazier is coming with whatever the case may be, as far as me I just try my very best to continue pushing forward.

Some students (n = 5) described adapting well academically to remote instruction, sometimes to their surprise. Justin (age 21, IS) reported:

I don't know why, but I feel like my grades have gotten better … I was able to transition over to online classes a lot better than I thought that I would. I kind of prefer them in a way. I don't have to worry about waking up really early and showing up to class.

Overall, many students reported that despite the challenges of the pandemic, they found ways to adapt and cope as independent college students.

3.3.2. Gratitude

Gratitude was a theme in nearly half (n = 10) of the students interviewed. Participants expressed gratitude for financial assistance they received during the pandemic, either in the form of government assistance or assistance through the campus support programme. Some described this as a “silver lining” of the pandemic, like Mateo (age 21, FC), who said, “I guess you can count the stimulus checks as part of that silver lining, you know free money from the government never hurts.” Participants also expressed gratitude for avoiding worse outcomes during the pandemic. Gabriela (age 20, IS), reported, “I was lucky that nobody got sick in, like, the craziest times … I did have family that got sick later but it wasn't, you know, luckily they're fine now.” Similarly, Tiana (age 23, IS), reported:

And a few of my family members got Covid, thankfully they're all fine now, okay. But I mean, I do have friends and their family members have gotten it, I mean some have passed, so it has negatively affected me, but you know I'm just trying to be positive in the face of the storm and [university] and, the [campus support program] has definitely helped in trying to do that as well.

Sydney (age 22, FC), shared, “I'm grateful for the fact that … I was able to have a strong mind enough to not fall into a deep depression.” The recognition that participants' experiences could have been much worse was a recurring theme across interviews.

3.3.3. Growth in a time of adversity

Participants coped with the challenges of the pandemic on their own, and when possible, with others. Several participants (n = 5) described focusing more on their own personal growth during the pandemic. As an example, Imani (age 18, IS), reported “if anything I guess my physical health maybe improved because I started getting more into fitness and everything and doing more workouts.” Sydney (age 22, FC) described her response to the pandemic this way:

I had to find a new means of helping myself … I went back into connecting more with my music and learning to play the piano and, you know, writing songs was what helped me mentally. And praying, of course, helped me as well.

Other students described their own efforts to become more self‐aware and introspective during this time. Justin (age 21, IS) reported that time alone during the pandemic helped him become more self‐reflective: “if you're just by yourself, you get to kind of think to yourself more … I've kind of learned a little more about myself this year.”

In addition to growth that took place in solitude, some participants were able to spend more time with loved ones. Emmanuel (age 18, IS) described the benefit of unexpected time with his uncle:

I live with my uncle so, it's been, it's been cool just being home with him, you know, first couple of weeks. We were cooking a lot every day and we're just hanging out more and, you know, he's usually working a lot, so I don't have the opportunity to hang out with him every single day. But … he was there for me when it was, like, at its worst, so that definitely helped.

Justin (age 21, IS) identified time spent with friends as another silver lining of the pandemic for him:

I mean, there's a lot of, like, good things that the pandemic has brought upon in my life, obviously some bad things too … you always gotta look at that silver lining …. I've been speaking with my friends more on on Discord which a little app on the App store where you actually like communicate with one another. And I feel like I've gotten closer with, like, you know, a new group of friends, because we talk on it like every night, play video games together, and you know, like I've grown a lot closer with them because of that.

Participants' responses to the pandemic included adapting, expressing gratitude, and finding opportunities for both self‐care and bonding with others.

3.4. Support needs

We asked participants what kinds of support they needed from the university to help them navigate the pandemic as independent college students. At this time, the campus support programme was operating virtually, with a single case manager and two social work interns providing support and assistance for independent students. Participants had many suggestions for how the institution could better support them as students. We grouped their responses into three subthemes: Connection; assistance; and flexibility and understanding.

3.4.1. Connection

Participants frequently referenced their need for connection with others—both with peers and with supportive adults. Ten students specifically mentioned wanting “someone to talk to” about the impact of the pandemic, often in the context of the campus support programme for independent students. Jade (age 18, FC) said, “sometimes kids just want to talk to someone and receive advice. They just want someone to listen to them.” As another example, Jordan (age 20, IS), expressed needing:

one‐on‐one time with someone, you know, just to talk about how school's like really affected me, and how Covid has really affected me negatively, and just being able to have someone to help guide me even if, like, in the smallest type of way …. to know that there's someone to reach out to, to have as a, like a resource when needed would be really, really helpful.

In addition to the counselling available on campus, some students suggested having “counselors who are specific for independent students rather than just like, um, regular …. I have a different situation than my friends do. So just someone who really understands that” (Alexis, age 21, FC).

Participants also wanted to safely socialize with peers on campus (n = 5). Some suggested having virtual or in‐person social events focused on mental health:

where people can just talk and like let out their emotions … let all the stress go and like get to actually relax for like a couple hours and get to talk to other people about like how they're doing and stuff. (Kayla, age 18, FC)

Overall, opportunities to connect with both peers and mentors were a frequent need among study participants.

3.4.2. Assistance

Beyond emotional support, participants emphasized their need for financial and practical assistance during the pandemic. The campus support programme offered students scholarships for books, as well as gift cards during the first year of the pandemic. Over a quarter (n = 9) of participants mentioned needing financial aid to help them manage other expenses. Emmanuel (age 18, IS), said, “I'd definitely say that the biggest relief anybody can get right now as a student is financial relief.” In addition to financial assistance, participants also expressed needs for other forms of practical assistance to help them navigate the new challenges of the pandemic. Hannah (age 21, FC) suggested having workshops on coping with stressors of the pandemic, “cause there's people who've had [to] juggle responsibilities that they never had before.” Anthony (age 20, FC) suggested that foster care alumni in particular needed assistance setting up an environment that supported remote learning:

Right now I'm doing my schoolwork literally anywhere on my phone, my laptop. Sometimes I go to the place where I work at, and use their tables … but I don't have no desk, no table, nothing to like really sit on except my bed. But that's the most weirdest [place] to be having a class. I think that there needs to be more support with that potential area.

Both financial and other forms of tangible assistance were mentioned as valuable to participants in helping them navigate the pandemic as independent students.

3.4.3. Flexibility and understanding

Students also wanted the institution to demonstrate greater flexibility and understanding of their needs during the pandemic. For some, this meant opportunities to take a break from work, or greater flexibility in registering for classes. As a freshman, Imani (age 18, IS) wished that some of her professors were more understanding of independent students:

there's a lot of things going on in our life, between the pandemic and maybe if people lose family members and then, just you never know what people are going through so I think academically I think it could have been more relaxed because … it felt like normal school, like a normal pace, even though … we had that big shift from in person to online but it was the same amount of work.

In addition, some participants were critical of what they perceived as overly rigid COVID‐related policies. Students who lived on campus during the early stages of the pandemic were upset that more facilities were not available to them. Brandon (age 19, FC) said, “You're going to require us to stay on campus, give us something to do on campus.” Policies that required students to sign in and out whenever they left campus also posed challenges for students who lived on campus and worked off campus:

They're trying to track, you know, kids coming on and off campus, which is something that they have to do, but I feel like the way that they're going about it is it came off wrong to students as in that “you have to get our permission before you can leave campus” but if you work constantly, like every day, or you have to go get groceries or you have to run errands… It's kind of like becoming an obstacle for us, then we don't want to feel like we're trapped at school. (Andrea, age 20, FC)

To help independent students navigate the pandemic, participants wanted universities to demonstrate flexibility and understanding in their implementation of campus policies.

4. DISCUSSION

This study explored the experiences and support needs of independent students during the COVID‐19 pandemic. In line with prior research on the pandemic experiences of college students from marginalized communities (Farris et al., 2021; López‐Castro et al., 2021; Reyes‐Portillo et al., 2022; Ruff et al., 2022), our findings highlighted the compounding challenges experienced by independent students in the first year of the pandemic. Participants struggled with campus closures and the transition to online learning; described the negative effects of job loss and financial problems; and emphasized the damaging impact of the pandemic on their emotional health. Although most students found ways to adapt to a pandemic reality, these stressors had an adverse effect on their college experience.

Restrictions and closure of the college campus added to participants' difficulties, as many students lost access to critical resources, such as student housing, campus‐based employment, social connection, and reliable internet access. These findings illustrate the process of stress proliferation, in which stressors accumulate and multiply difficulties across life domains (Thoits, 2010). Our findings also echo prior research, which has shown that foster care alumni and other independent students rely on college campuses to meet basic needs such as housing, food, and employment (Dworsky & Pérez, 2010; Opsal & Eman, 2018; Piel, 2018).

For some participants, reliance on extended family early in the pandemic was stressful. Research on youth emancipating from foster care has shown that relationships with biological families can be stressful and not always supportive (Rome & Raskin, 2019; Samuels, 2009). Participants in the current study described similar experiences, reporting complex and sometimes challenging family relationships.

Despite the challenges described above, participants responded in resourceful and resilient ways during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Some adapted well to remote learning, appreciating the greater flexibility and access to classes. Others found personal growth in the form of healthier habits, greater self‐awareness, and more time with loved ones. These findings mirror prior research on the experiences of foster care alumni during the COVID‐19 pandemic (Shpiegel et al., 2022), which similarly described positive aspects of this challenging period. Students primarily found ways to cope on their own or in relationships with people they already knew and trusted. This may reflect survivalist self‐reliance (Driscoll, 2013; Miller et al., 2020; Samuels & Pryce, 2008), as well as the unique barriers to social interaction posed by the early months of the pandemic. These findings are an important contribution to the literature, as they highlight the resilience of these independent students in the context of a global pandemic, challenging the deficit narrative often ascribed to foster care alumni and other marginalized youth.

Finally, echoing the findings of Ruff et al. (2022), both tangible and emotional support were necessary for independent students during emergency situations. Several students mentioned the need for connections with both peers and supportive adults, particularly university staff, to help them navigate pandemic‐related challenges. In addition, participants emphasized the need for reliable access to necessary resources, such as financial assistance, campus‐based employment, and housing. Lastly, participants promoted greater flexibility in supporting independent students academically, and accommodating their unique needs during COVID‐19.

Importantly, the resources available to independent students differ significantly based on their state of residence and the specifics of their independent status. Youth in out‐of‐home care are eligible to extend services until age 21 in most states (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2022), and are eligible for some form of postsecondary educational financial assistance in 35 states (University of Washington, 2022). Foster care alumni can receive tuition and fee waivers, assistance with room and board, Education and Training Voucher (ETV) funds, and other supports (Geiger et al., 2018; Watt & Faulkner, 2020). In contrast, independent students who are not foster care alumni are ineligible for many of these resources, despite having similar needs and challenges.

4.1. Implications, limitations, and future directions

This study has important practice implications. First, because independent students tend to rely on college campuses to meet their basic needs (Dworsky & Pérez, 2010; Opsal & Eman, 2018; Piel, 2018), higher education institutions should develop plans to facilitate continuous access to these resources during emergency situations. This includes allowing these students to stay in college dormitories during campus closures and prioritizing them for campus‐based employment. Arrangements should also be made to maintain access to key academic resources, such as access to the library, quiet learning spaces, reliable Wi‐Fi, and computer labs. Uninterrupted access to these resources is critical for supporting independent students, as well as other students from marginalized communities.

Independent students benefit from connections with supportive adults on campus, such as those involved in campus‐based support programmes. These programmes provide case management, academic and housing assistance, and emotional support (Gillum et al., 2018; Katz & Geiger, 2019; Ruff et al., 2022), as well as opportunities to cultivate social capital (Schwartz et al., 2018). Staff in these programmes understand the needs and backgrounds of independent students, positioning them to help throughout the year as well as in emergencies. Importantly, eligibility for campus‐based support programmes should include students who are independent but have not been in foster care, as they have similar needs and challenges but are eligible for much less government assistance.

Additionally, colleges and universities would do well to normalize support‐seeking among this population, because many independent students and foster care alumni report reluctance to seek help when they encounter challenges (Miller et al., 2020; Samuels & Pryce, 2008). Young people who have been in foster care are at higher risk for psychological difficulties (McMillen et al., 2005), even as they may be ambivalent about utilizing formal mental health services (Munson & Lox, 2012). Programmes that specifically help students cultivate skills in asking for help and developing social capital (Schwartz et al., 2018) can be very relevant. Reliable and accessible mental health supports for independent students are also crucial. The input of independent students into the development and evaluation of campus support programmes is vital to ensure that these programmes meet the needs of their intended population.

Institutions should also provide training to faculty and staff on the unique needs of independent students. Faculty should be aware that these students may not have access to key resources while residing off‐campus, such as quiet learning spaces, reliable internet, and books. Flexibility and understanding are particularly important during emergency situations, when independent students negotiate academic requirements while also trying to meet their basic needs (Ruff et al., 2022).

This study should be interpreted considering its limitations. First, our study was based on a convenience sample of independent undergraduate students enrolled in one university in the northeast United States. These students were younger than many independent students at other institutions of higher education. As a small qualitative study, these findings are not intended to generalize to other locations and populations. Furthermore, the present sample was heterogeneous with respect to students' independent status, including foster care alumni and independent students who have not been in foster care. Although we have not observed meaningful differences in pandemic‐related experiences between these groups, it is possible that certain differences were not captured in the current study. Finally, data collection for this project coincided with the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic, when all courses pivoted to remote instruction and campus services were restricted. These findings may not apply to later stages of the pandemic when campuses reopened.

Future research should investigate the needs of independent students as they navigate emergency situations, assessing the psychological and practical implications of the pandemic over time. Such research should include subpopulations of independent students not represented in the current study, such as those who parent young children and those enrolled in community colleges. These studies could also better explore additional topics, such as the meaning of identity or relationships for independent students. Furthermore, researchers should evaluate the services provided to independent students on campus, to identify their most effective components. Finally, more research is needed on the impact of remote learning on independent students' academic success, as this strategy is likely to be increasingly adopted in future emergency situations.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Sapiro, B. , Shpiegel, S. , Ventola, M. , Quiroz, S. R. , Nwankwo, O. H. , & Munyereyi, T. (2022). “Trying to be positive in the face of the storm”: The experiences of independent college students during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Child & Family Social Work, 1–12. 10.1111/cfs.12983

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.