Transitioning into the various school levels can be both exciting and stressful to the students. A vast array of lifestyle changes, together with the pressure to have better performance in an increasingly competitive environment, is contributing to suboptimal wellbeing among the students. Students today are forced to contend with the drastically altered learning landscape due to the Coronavirus pandemic. For instance, universities have opted to close their campuses to university staff and students to control the virus. The impacts o this move have been monumental for teaching delivery, relationships, and provision of various services to the students. The uncertainty the COVID 19 pandemic has caused yet to be considered in terms of the wellbeing of the students. Mental health problems are the leading impediments to the success of the student's academic performance. It affects the social interactions, concentration, and motivation of students. Such are essential factors for the success of students. According to the Center for Collegiate Health (2019) report in 2019, 62.7 of the 82,683 participants reported that anxiety is continuously the most common problem among the students.
Psychological health and welfare are critical factors in student performance as they can impact the students' motivation, interaction, and concentration. The mental health and welfare of students have been an area of focus over the years. The situation presented by the COVID-19 pandemic has further enhanced this focus. This focus is mainly a result of the shifts that the pandemic has caused on the learning and educational environment that students face today. Online learning has caused students to be disconnected from their peers and society, resulting in their isolation and has also created fear of infection or losing loved ones. These stressors have resulted in a decline in student's mental wellbeing. This current research is based on the study by Son et al. (2020), which focuses on the impacts of the Corona Virus on the mental wellbeing of US college students. By taking on an interview survey study design, the study examined the psychological pressure on students during the pandemic and its linked control measures such as staying at home (Son et al., 2020). The goal of the research was to identify the mental effects of the pandemic on students. By utilizing a target population of university students within the US, the study is focused on informing the design and implementation of measures as a way of promoting students' psychological health.
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The current study focuses on how the covid-19 pandemic has affected the mental health and overall wellbeing of students. The pandemic is having the potential of affecting students academically, psychologically, physically, and financially. For instance, some universities and colleges within New Jersey have formally stated that several students have been found positive for the Coronavirus. Several institutions worldwide have switched from in-person learning techniques to online learning methods to help prevent the widespread transmission of the pandemic among the students and staff. Within a short period, the lives of students have changed since they were ordered to leave the campus premises, adjust to the new circumstances of living, and adapt to the new platforms of E-learning. The switching to the online learning method for the courses that were not initially designed for online learning increases stress among the students. Besides, the courses that were intended to include a higher level of interaction and hands-on experience, like artistic, practicums, and laboratory work performance, have disadvantages regarding the students’ evaluation (Sahu, 2020) . That is due to the difficulties that some of the students face when trying to accessing computers and the internet in their homes. Therefore, The current proposed research on how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected students' mental health and overall wellbeing is essential. It will highlight the various ways the students have been affected by the pandemic.
Problem statement
Students are among the population that is regarded popularly vulnerable to the outcomes of mental health. The pandemic has presented several challenges to the parents, educators, and students. The students who cope with mental health conditions have been vulnerable to the various pandemic changes in their lives. The current study focuses on the broader impacts of the Coronavirus on the students due to the closure of schools, the guidelines for physical distance and isolations, and other unexpected life changes (The Lancet, 2021) . Some students with depression are experiencing considerable difficulty adjusting to their everyday lives when they resume after being closed.
The potential for increased health issues affecting schools within the fall of the pandemic has been evident in the Gallup (2020) polling of the students and parents via the web. They reported that 30% of the participants responded that their children are facing emotional and mental health problems due to social distancing and closure of the institutions for studies. Other responding parents reported that their children were almost getting to their limits. They might continue social distancing for a few weeks until they suffer mentally. Even though there have been a few cases of students among the confirmed COVID 19 patients, the survey suggested that the pandemic is nearly affecting the wellbeing of students.
There is an increasing concern for the emotional and mental health of the students amid the COVID 19 pandemic response measures. The closure of schools upends most of the learning models for the students. Besides, it has a profound disruption of the student's social network and the interactions with their teachers and classmates. There is a need for the learning stakeholders to consider planning ways of supporting the students learning and growth in the upcoming school calendar. More importantly, they also need to consider the techniques to help the student's social and emotional needs since they are essential for the students' in-person and school learning as well as their mental wellbeing. However, there is a greater challenge as schools are experiment with the newly processes that are intended to curb the persistent threat that the virus poses for th students and the general public. Therefore, the main problem in the current research is how the COVID 19 pandemic has affected the students' mental health and overall wellbeing. The following research questions will be addressed.
How has the COVID 19 affected the students’ level of fear about their mental health?
How has the COVID pandemic caused the student’s mental health?
How has the COVID 19 pandemic affected the student’s general wellbeing?
Objectives
There is an urgent need addressing the burden of mental health among the students due to increased concerns relating to the impacts of the Coronavirus on mentally vulnerable individuals. The COVD 19 pandemic has been a time that is full of upheaval for the students. The currently proposed research has two main aims. Firstly, it aims to assess the significant factors associated with an increased mental health burden among the students within the US. They have been severely affected by the pandemic. Secondly, the research seeks to examine whether some factors like the information sources, knowledge and academic and daily difficulties are associated with the mental health distress among the students during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Preliminary literature review
Kecojevic et al. (2020) investigated the impacts of the Corona Virus on university students' mental wellbeing. The research aimed to evaluate the factors linked to the high degrees of mental health effects in students. The study focused on the region of the US that is substantially affected by the pandemic. By utilizing a cross-sectional survey study design, the researchers obtained information concerning behavior shifts, educational and daily challenges, and psychological assessments focusing on depression, anxiety, somatization, and stress. This study focused on finding the type of effect that the pandemic has on the psychological welfare of students. It aimed to inform the well-structured efforts to facilitate the psychological interest of students required at this time. The research findings indicated that COVID-19 negatively affected the psychological health of most students due to related stressors, such as isolation from peers and community, fear of losing loved ones, and academic delay.
Lai et al. (2020) evaluated the psychological health effects of the Corona Virus on international students, causes of stress, and strategies that can be used to cope with the pandemic. The study is based on the belief that the negative mental impacts of the Corona Virus on international students have not been sufficiently addressed. Their research study aimed to assess the distinctions in stressors associated with the pandemic and psychological effects between international students who went back to their domestic countries or regions and the ones who were left within their learning countries. The study also aimed at identifying the stressor associated with COVID-19 and coping techniques that acted as a predictor of mental health. They utilized an online questionnaire survey design to collect its information. Its results indicated that stress associated with academics, health, accessibility of health information, and an absence of community support acted as a predictor of adverse mental health effects. The study provided information that educational policymakers could utilize in providing the needed resources for international students.
Salimi et al. (2021) in their article focused on the mental health challenges that college students undergo due to COVID 19 concerns. They provided insights into additional concern since the college students are needed to adapt to the virtual learning methods and to make changes in their behavior lioke the social distancing. They are also required to deal with the social economic uncertainties. Te paper provides insights into the additional concerns in which the COVID 19 may have an impact on the mental health and the way mental health practitioners may address such concerns. The paper provides the possible strategies to address these concerns to help the college students.
Another article by Khan et al. (2020) examined the effects of Corona Virus on the mental well-being of Bangladesh students who were under quarantine. The study utilized a cross-sectional design that was used to gather information from college and university students. This involved an exploration of a variety of factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression. The study also assessed the level of severity associated with the mental health symptoms being evaluated. Results from the study showed that the outbreak imposed psychological effects on individuals to a great degree due to stressors like fear of being sick or losing a loved one and lack of social interaction through recreational activities. This study provided the concerned authorities with the information needed to pay enough attention to students on how they can handle the situation mentally.
Grubic et al. (2020) conducted a research on the students' mental well-being during the pandemic while calling for the development of solutions. It evaluated existing literature associated with its focus and aims. The findings of the study indicated that higher levels of mental challenges and adverse academic effects have been elevated for college students due to the pandemic, especially due to stressors like isolation which reduces peer-peer interaction and fear of being ill or losing a loved one. The study further provided information on measures that can be taken to help students exposed to these effects that can minimize the general health effects that are associated with heightened uncertainties. The researchers emphasized the need for the introduction of support programs and minimize the extensive adverse effects on the education of students and their psychological welfare.
Methodology
Participants
The participants of the study will be randomly selected students from a large university in the United States. After its closure in April 2020, students continued to learn virtually due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Additionally, the university's state had issued a lockdown notice by the start of April. Individual movement in public spaces has been restricted to limit the spread of the disease. The study will include a stratified sampling of 150 participants with equal number of males and females between 20 and 28 years old, who will be recruited via WhatsApp and emails by the undergraduate research team. The study has several inclusion criteria. First, the participants should be registered students of the university by the time the online questionnaire will be administered. Also, the participants should have attained an age of 18 years during the research. Additionally, students who will not be in session during the time of the study will be disqualified.
All participants will be sent a link to the questionnaire via email and will be reminded twice via text message to participate in the research. Additionally, ethics approval will be obtained by the Institutional Review Board to ensure that the research follows all required guidelines (Gelling, 2016). Also, written consent will be obtained from all the participants in the study. If the participants are unable to complete the task, they will be thanked and permitted to leave. The participants in the survey will not be compensated.
Design
A cross-sectional questionnaire will be applied to collect information on the psychological impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on the students, common stressors, and coping strategies in university students. The online questionnaire will be distributed to students via links through a random sampling technique. The recruiters, who are students, will send details about the study through school WhatsApp groups and group emails and ask interested students to register for the task. Individuals who agree to participate in the research will be sent all information they need to know about the investigation. Additionally, a consent form will be later sent to ensure that the participants fully understand the exercise and are ready to participate in the study. The link to the online questionnaire will be sent directly to students who agree to participate in the survey via email and WhatsApp. The participants will be given three days to fill the questionnaire to help save time. Additionally, to avoid duplication during the study, browser cookies will prevent the participants from using the same browser to participate in the survey again. After participating in the study, students will be given links with reliable information about COVID-19, such as the CDC website.
Materials
For this research, a self-administered, anonymous, online questionnaire based on stress investigation and coping strategies will be used in collecting the demographic characteristics, stressors related to COVID-19, mental health, coping strategies, and student’s educational program characteristics.
Academic Program: The participants will be asked to indicate several characteristics about their current academic program. The participant's information will be asked to tell the nature of their study (part-time or full-time), the year of research, and the field of study.
Demographic Characteristics: The research participants will be asked to indicate various characteristics about themselves. They will tell their age, marital status, race, gender, religion, and psychiatric diagnosis.
COVID-19 Stressors: The participants in the study will be asked to indicate how various possible COVID-19 stressors affected them. The stressors will be classified as an individual (academic achievement, family/friend's health, and personal health) and environmental (academic uncertainties and economic challenges caused by COVID-19). The participants will record their responses on a Likert scale (4 points) in the questionnaire. On the scale, 1= "not stressful," 2= "slightly stressful," 3= "moderately stressful," while 4= "very stressful."
Coping Strategies: The study participants will be asked to indicate various strategies they used, use, or tried to use to deal with stress related to the coronavirus outbreak. The strategies include playing video games, watching movies, meditation, listening to music, seeking support, exercising, or learning new skills such as cooking.
Procedure
After receiving the link to the questionnaire, the participants will view five sections/pages. Only one section will open at a time; the next page will open automatically after the answers of the current section are submitted. First, the participants will fill a consent form attached to the questionnaire; the other pages will not open if the consent form is not filled. Two sections involve filling out personal information, that is, demographic information and academic program details. After filling in the personal information, the COVID-19 stressors page will automatically open. There will be various questions on this page, which will be filled in a 4-point Likert Scale. An example of a question is: How stressful does COVID-19 cause academic uncertainty to you? The participants will answer such questions on the Likert Scale. 4 in the scale will indicate that the participant is/was very stressed while 1 shows no stress.
After submitting answers regarding COVID-19 stressors, the coping strategies page will automatically open. There will be a list of stress-relieving strategies on this page, which numerous people used/use to cope with COVID-19-related stress. The participants will mark the techniques that they usually use. In case a participant uses different strategies, then they will enter the strategies in a textbox provided. After submitting responses on this page, the participants will be redirected to a "Thank You" page. On this page, the participants will be thanked for taking their time to participate in the study. Since participation will not be paid, helpful information about preventing COVID-19 will be provided along with links that will direct participants to websites with more details about COVID-19 and its prevention, like CDC and WHO.
Proposed results
The results will show that there is a significant difference in the student’s academic achievements, family’s or friends’ health, and personal health. The results will indicate that students are more stressed about their academic success due to the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic. They will indicate that they are moderately stressed by their personal health and that of their family members and friends. The students will also show that they are more stressed by their personal health than their academic achievements.
References
Center for Collegiate Mental Health. (2019). 2019 ANNUAL REPORT . Ccmh.memberclicks.net. Retrieved 28 April 2021, from https://ccmh.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/2019-CCMH-Annual-Report_3.17.20.pdf.
Gallup, I. (2021). U.S. Parents Say COVID-19 Harming Child's Mental Health . Gallup.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021, from https://news.gallup.com/poll/312605/parents-say-covid-harming-child-mental-health.aspx.
Gelling L. (2016). Applying for ethical approval for research: the main issues. Nursing Standard, 30 (20), 40–44. doi: 10.7748/ns.30.20.40.s46
Grubic, N., Badovinac, S., & Johri, A. M. (2020). Student mental health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for further research and immediate solutions. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry , 66 (5), 517–518. doi:10.1177/0020764020925108
Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study. PloS ONE , 15 (9), e0239696. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239696
Khan, A. H., Sultana, M. S., Hossain, S., Hasan, M. T., Ahmed, H. U., & Sikder, M. T. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health & well-being among home-quarantined Bangladeshi students: A cross-sectional pilot study. Journal of Affective Disorders , 277 , 121–128. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.135
Lai, A. Y., Lee, L., Wang, M. P., Feng, Y., Lai, T. T., Ho, L. M., Lam, V. S., Ip, M. S., & Lam, T. H. (2020). Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on International University Students, Related Stressors, and Coping Strategies. Frontiers in Psychiatry , 11 , 584240 . doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.584240
Sahu, P. (2020). Closure of Universities Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact on Education and Mental Health of Students and Academic Staff. Cureus , 12 (4). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7541
Salimi, N., Gere, B., Talley, W., & Irioogbe, B. (2021). College Students Mental Health Challenges: Concerns and Considerations in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal Of College Student Psychotherapy , 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2021.1890298
Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 on College Students' Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research , 22 (9), e21279 . doi: 10.2196/21279
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