The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial well-being of undergraduate students in south India- a cross sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20232422Keywords:
College students, Loneliness, Psychosocial well-being, Well beingAbstract
Background: There is an increasing concern on the psychosocial well-being of students especially being vulnerable during times such as the pandemic. Objective were (i) to assess the prevalence of psychosocial issues and coping skills over the lockdown period due to the covid pandemic among undergraduate students in India, (ii) to associate the various factors affecting the study pattern over the lockdown period among the same population.
Methods: This was an online cross-sectional study among undergraduate students studying in various south-Indian colleges done during the initial lockdown (May to September 2020). We followed snowball sampling and collected data using google forms with study tools such as, standard revised UCLA loneliness scale and WHO 5 well-being index questionnaire. Our final data of 350 (from 378) was then analyzed using IBM SPSS v21.0 and based on Likert scaling, we graded our responses to assess the severity of loneliness and well-being.
Results: The mean age was 23.1±3.31 years and majority of participants belonged to the age group of 21-23 (58.3%). Majority of the participants were pursuing a medical course (62%) and were in their second year of professional course (39.7%). According to WHO-5 scale, 115 (32.9%) had poor well-being and 235 (67.1%) had good well-being and further on comparing it was observed that those with severe loneliness (N=16.7%) had 0.010 times lesser chance of having good well-being (p=0.000) than those who had no loneliness (N=95%).
Conclusions: Vulnerable and changing times such as these contribute for alteration in a growing adult’s progress towards well-being.
References
Son C, Hegde S, Smith A, Wang X, Sasangohar F. Effects of COVID-19 on college students’ mental health in the United States: Interview survey study. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(9):e21279.
Gettleman J, Schultz K. Modi orders 3-week total lockdown for all 1.3 billion Indians. The New York Times. 2020. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-lockdown.html. Accessed on 16 September 2021.
Banerjea A. Coronavirus lockdown extended till 31 May, says NDMA Mint. 2020. Available from: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/covid-19-lockdown-4-0-coronavirus-lockdown-extended-till-31-may-says-ndma-11589715203633.html. Accessed on 21 September 2021.
Sharma N, Ghosh D. “Unlock1”: Malls, restaurants, places of worship to reopen June 8. NDTV.Com. Available from: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lockdown-extended-till-june-30-malls-restaurants-can-reopen-from-june-8-except-in-containment-zones-2237910. Accessed on 2 October 2021.
Sanyal A. Schools closed, travel to be avoided, says centre on Coronavirus: 10 points. NDTV.Com. 2021. Available from: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mumbai-s-siddhivinayak-temple-to-close-entry-for-devotees-from-today-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-2195660. Accessed on 5 October 2021.
Liang L, Ren H, Cao R, Hu Y, Qin Z, Li C, et al. The effect of COVID-19 on youth mental health. Psychiatr Quart. 2020;91(3):841-52.
Elmer T, Mepham K, Stadtfeld C. Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland. PloS One. 2020;15(7):e0236337.
Yang D, Tu CC, Dai X. The effect of the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic on college students in Wuhan. Psychol Trauma Theory Res Pract Policy. 2020;12(S1):S6-14.
Pinquart M, Sorensen S. Influences on loneliness in older adults: a meta-analysis. Basic Appl Soc Psychol. 2001;23(4):245-66.
APA Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association. Available from: https://dictionary.apa.org/well-being. Accessed on 24 October 2021.
Topp CW, Østergaard SD, Søndergaard S, Bech P. The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: a systematic review of the literature. Psychother Psychosomat. 2015;84(3):167-76.
Russell DW. UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. J Personal Assess. 1996;66(1):20-40.
Labrague LJ, De Los Santos JAA, Falguera CC. Social and emotional loneliness among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: The predictive role of coping behaviors, social support, and personal resilience. Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2021;57(4):1578-84.
Stuijfzand S, Deforges C, Sandoz V, Sajin CT, Jaques C, Elmers J, et al. Psychological impact of an epidemic/pandemic on the mental health of healthcare professionals: a rapid review. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):1230.
Alkhamees AA, Alrashed SA, Alzunaydi AA, Almohimeed AS, Aljohani MS. The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the general population of Saudi Arabia. Comprehens Psychiatr. 2020’102(152192):152192.
