The impact of COVID-19 on families and experiences with higher education over time

The present study was designed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' experiences from their parents' perspective. Parents from across the United States were surveyed twice, summer 2020 (T1) and fall 2020 (T2). Building on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory, parents reported on their own and their students' well-being, student learning challenges, and the impact of COVID-19 on family life. Parents also reported their emotional support and stress at T2. Additionally, parents responded to open-ended questions describing how COVID-19 impacted student learning and student goals. Results showed that parental confidence in collegiate decision making diminished during this time, as did physical health and overall well-being for parents and parent reports of student well-being. Overall, parents reported increasing concern for student mental health from summer to fall 2020. First-generation college parents reported higher well-being for themselves and their students than continuing-generation parents. By contrast, parents of first-year students reported that their students were doing significantly worse than parents of students in later years. Parents who had more emotional support and less stress reported greater student well-being. College parent and family programs are discussed as a key pathway for providing resources and support for college families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).