Fluctuations in behavior and affect in college students measured using deep phenotyping

College students commonly experience psychological distress when faced with intensified academic demands and changes in the social environment. Examining the nature and dynamics of students' affective and behavioral experiences can help us better characterize the correlates of psychological distress. Here, we leveraged wearables and smartphones to study 49 first-year college students continuously throughout the academic year. Affect and sleep, academic, and social behavior showed substantial changes from school semesters to school breaks and from weekdays to weekends. Three student clusters were identified with behavioral and affective dissociations and varying levels of distress throughout the year. While academics were a common stressor for all, the cluster with highest distress stood out by frequent report of social stress. Moreover, the frequency of reporting social, but not academic, stress predicted subsequent clinical symptoms. Two years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the first-year cluster with highest distress again stood out by frequent social stress and elevated clinical symptoms. Focus on sustained interpersonal stress, relative to academic stress, might be especially helpful to identify students at heightened risk for psychopathology.

Automated summary

College students often experience psychological distress due to intensified academic demands and changes in the social environment. This study utilized wearable devices and smartphones to continuously observe 49 first-year college students throughout an academic year and identified three student clusters with varying levels of distress and dissociations in behavior and affect. The findings showed significant changes in affect and sleep, academic, and social behavior between school semesters and breaks, as well as weekdays and weekends. Social stress was frequently reported by the cluster with the highest distress, and the frequency of reporting social stress predicted subsequent clinical symptoms. Two years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the same first-year cluster with the highest distress again reported frequent social stress and elevated clinical symptoms. Focusing on sustained interpersonal stress, rather than academic stress, may be especially helpful in identifying students at a heightened risk for psychopathology.