Psychological Impact of COVID 19 on the Amount of Perceived Stress among College Students Studying across Various Streams in India during the Period of Lockdown

ABSTRACT

Humans have evolved and adapted as a social being and it has ensured the survival of all. The novel corona virus, COVID 19 has impacted the psychosocial functioning of billions of people around the world. The various impacts it might have on different categories of people over a period of time is one of the main concerns of the World Health Organisation. College students are vulnerable and are more prone to psychological problems due to the prolonged stress experienced by them during this period of uncertainty and social isolation. We wanted to analyse the level of perceived stress among college students in India and the impact of this sudden break in studies and social distancing has on them. We also wanted to study the number of mental setbacks the college students experience because of their financial situation and their future job prospects during this lockdown. METHODSAn online survey was conducted among the college students in India. A total of 775 responses were analysed for the level of perceived stress using the perceived stress scale. The psychological impact caused by the lockdown was analysed through statements regarding the amount of worry they felt across various aspects of their life such as economic stability, missing friends during lockdown, use of mobile phone for connecting with people, continuation of education and impact of Covid 19 on future job prospects. RESULTSCollege students were experiencing significant amount of stress as measured by the perceived stress (PS) scale with 11.5 % experiencing high stress and 81.2 % students experiencing moderate amount of stress. The perceived stress was found to be significantly associated with worry regarding education, job prospects being affected by the Covid 19 situation and the reduction of time spent with their peers. CONCLUSIONSCollege students are experiencing moderate to high level of stress in the context of the pandemic situation and preventive and protective measures have to be taken by the college administration to address these issues. More targeted assessments needs to be done in colleges to assess the mental health of its student population and protective measures like counselling services should be made to vulnerable students as they try to handle the stress associated with the current pandemic situation.