Impact of COVID-19 On the Mental Health of College Students Within India and Outside India

Abstract

Depression is a mood disorder in which individuals experience extreme unhappiness, lack of energy, and several related symptoms (Baron, 1995). Anxiety involves a general feeling of apprehension about possible future danger (Butcher et al, 2019). Stress refer to one’s responses to events that disrupt, the physical and psychological functioning (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Taylor, 1991). Individuals experience stress when they have to face demands or threats without adequate resources to meet these demands or mitigate the threats (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). The new coronavirus called SARS-cov-2 causes Covid-19 disease. 80% of those who develop symptoms of the disease recover whereas 15% become seriously ill and require oxygen and 5% become critically ill and need intensive care. Although people aged 60 years and above, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes, obesity or cancer, are at a higher risk of developing serious illness, anyone can get sick with COVID-19 and become seriously ill or die at any age (WHO, 2020). The aim of this study is to find out the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of college students inside and outside India ever since the start of online classes in the confinement period. The sample considered included a total of 62 college students which was selected through purposive sampling technique and out of which 36 are from within India and 26 are from outside India. The DASS-21 questionnaire and the IES-R questionnaire were used for data collection. The sample was analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation and Mann- Whitney U test. From the result it can be inferred that there is a significant difference between the level of depression, stress, anxiety, PTSD, hyperarousal, avoidance and intrusion among college students inside and outside India. It was also found that there is a positive correlation between depression and PTSD, depression and intrusion, depression and avoidance, depression and hyperarousal, stress and PTSD, stress and intrusion, stress and avoidance, stress and hyperarousal, anxiety and PTSD, anxiety and intrusion, anxiety and avoidance, anxiety and hyperarousal.