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Investigating the Mental Health of
University Housing Staff Across Multiple
Professional Levels During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS CHALLENGED UNIVERSITY HOUSING
OPERATIONS regardless of the type of operational function. Since the
pandemic began, residence life staff, maintenance and custodial staff,
assignment coordinators, administrative staff, and senior housing officers have
all likely had to readjust and revamp their operational protocols in order to
ensure the safety and well-being of their students, faculty, and staff. The tireless
work of college and university housing professionals across various levels and
functions continues to positively impact the residential student experience
despite the ongoing pandemic; however, there is little research that examines
the toll the pandemic has had on the mental health and well-being of housing
professionals. Utilizing the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5), an internationally
validated and reliable instrument for assessing mental health in adults, this study
investigates the mental health of housing staff across multiple professional levels
and functions since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
M
ental health can be defined as " a state of successful performance of mental
function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with
other people, and the ability to adapt to change and to cope with adversity "
(Gamm et al., 2010, p. 97). Mental health is critical to personal well-being, successful
family and interpersonal relationships, and positive contributions to community.
Mental disorders are " health conditions that are characterized by alterations in
thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof), which are associated
with distress and/or impaired functioning " and " affect approximately one-half of the
population over a lifetime and are among the most impairing of chronic diseases "
(Gamm et al., 2010, p. 97). The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported
Volume 49, No. 3 * 2023 15

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