Strategies to Foster COVID-19-Related Post-Pandemic Growth Among College Students

In May 2023, the World Health Organization declared that while COVID-19 remained classified as a pandemic, it no longer constituted a public health emergency. Despite aspirations to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, the disruption to education and development experienced by college students during high school and university has resulted in persistent trauma-related symptoms that extend beyond the pandemic itself. The lasting effects, both negative and positive, on students’ mental health and developmental trajectories, including psychological, academic, and social growth, are increasingly evident. This conceptual article centers on post-traumatic growth (PTG) and introduces a novel construct—post-pandemic growth (PPG)—to address the specific developmental challenges confronting students in the post-pandemic context. We present strategies to foster PPG within the institutions of higher education including faculty, staff, student affairs professionals, mental health professionals, and higher education administrators.