Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal
Vol-02, Issue-04 (Oct -Dec 2024)
An International scholarly/ academic journal, peer-reviewed/ refereed journal, ISSN : 2960-0006
Psychological impact of physical distancing due to covid 19 pandemic on school and higher education students
Kumar, Sandeep1
1Professor of Chemistry, and ‘by courtesy of psychology’, NIILM University Kaithal, Haryana
Simran2
2Professor, Department of Commerce, NIILM University Kaithal Haryana India
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9076
Page Number: pp. 101-112
Subject: Educational Psychology, Mental Health, COVID-19 Pandemic, Student Well-being, Developmental Psychology
Received: 16 December 2023
Accepted: 20 May 2024
Published: 01 October 2024
Thematic Classification: Social Sciences: Psychology & Education; Public Health
Abstract
MoHFW India, WHO, NHS, and CDC suggested imposing lockdown and closing educational institutions with the spread of covid 19 pandemic to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease. Students faced negative mental health symptoms due to unexpected transition from physical to virtual learning, increased screen time, physical distancing, altered habits, rumors through news, print media, social media, and other means. This study focuses on the psychological impact of covid 19 on school and higher education students due to psychosocial factors like physical distancing. 2140 students, mixed gender, in age from 17 years to 25 years (M = 22.73, SD = 6.12) are selected as sample population for the study. Mixed-method approach is used for data collection that include face to face interactions in clinics, Health Questionnaires & Self-Reports, online counseling to assess the stress & depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, rating scales for Behavior analysis, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale to assess perceived stress, depression, anxiety, and mental health & well-being, respectively. Analysis of data shows that 42.7% of school and higher education students have either depression or anxiety. 71.7% of students reported poor health and well-being. 36.7% of students reported fear of getting infected by virus, many students were reported with cognitive dissonance in myths and truths about Covid-19. 37.9% of students spend their time on media & social media, including watching TV or reading Covid-19 related news and information on various platforms. About 56.2% students reported with increased use of social media. There was a minor difference between depression and anxiety, as reported by females and male students, however expression of separation fear was slightly higher in male students than female students. Physical distancing and lack of social interaction caused stress, anxiety (GAD) and depression symptoms in students due to imbalances in hormones & neurotransmitters.
Keywords: social distancing, pandemic, depression, anxiety, stress, covid-19
Impact Statement
Covid 19 pandemic impacted adversely to most of the world population. Negative impacts ae not only short term but also long term, still researchers are working on finding the long term impacts on the large population. This research mainly focus on the impact of lockdown due to covid 19 pandemic on the school and higher education students and their responses. A major number of students faced imbalances in hormones and neurotransmitters i.e. brain biochemistry. This study reveals that the mental health of school and higher education students is negatively impacted by the lockdown due to covid-19 pandemic, and a majority of students faced inevitable psychological challenges and responses to deal with such adversity. This study will provide an insight to young researchers for further research on psychosocial factors and their impacts on cognitive competence.
About The Authors
Dr Sandeep Kumar is working as Professor of Chemistry and ‘by courtesy of psychology’ NIILM University Kaithal Haryana, and have more than two decades experience in teaching, research, curriculum development, counselling and leadership. His areas of interest are chemical education, research, behavioural science, teacher education and practices. As resource person, he has conducted more than 225 training programs for the school and higher education teachers. He has been awarded with numerous prestigious National and International Awards. He has participated and presented research articles in more than 200 National and International conferences. He has been invited as keynote speaker, guest of honour, conference chair, and resources person in various National and International Conferences. He is associated with various National and International Organizations.
Dr Simran is working as Professor, Department of Commerce, NIILM University Kaithal Haryana India. She has 13 years of rich experience in leadership, curriculum development and teaching at school and higher education level. Her area of research is accounting, taxation, human resource management and teaching-learning. She has attended more than 70 conferences, seminars and workshops. She has presented her research in various National and International Conferences. She has been awarded with 8 prestigious Awards.
Cite this Article
APA (7th ed.): Kumar, S., & Simran. (2024). Psychological impact of physical distancing due to covid 19 pandemic on school and higher education students. Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 2(4), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9076
Chicago (17th ed.): Kumar, Sandeep, and Simran. “Psychological impact of physical distancing due to covid 19 pandemic on school and higher education students.” Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal 2, no. 4 (2024): 101–112. https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9076.
MLA (9th ed.): Kumar, Sandeep, and Simran. “Psychological impact of physical distancing due to covid 19 pandemic on school and higher education students.” Edumania-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 2, no. 4, 2024, pp. 101–112. https://doi.org/10.59231/edumania/9076.
Statements & Declarations
Peer Review: The scholarly quality and significance of this research on the psychological effects of the pandemic have been confirmed through a rigorous and independent peer-review process conducted by experts in the relevant fields.
Review Type: This manuscript was reviewed under a double-blind peer review model. This process, administered by the editorial team, ensured that the identities of the authors (Sandeep Kumar and Simran) and the reviewers were kept confidential from one another. The review was conducted by subject experts in educational psychology, mental health, and child development.
Competing Interests: The authors, Sandeep Kumar and Simran, jointly and individually declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Data Availability: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, S. Kumar, upon reasonable request. The data are not publicly available due to the sensitive nature of the psychological information collected from minor and young adult participants, in accordance with the ethical approval granted for the study.
Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The work was completed using the authors’ institutional resources and personal scholarly efforts.
License: This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 International License. This license permits copying and redistribution of the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, provided the original work is properly cited, and it does not permit adaptation or remixing of the material.
Ethical Approval: All procedures performed in this study involving human participants (school and higher education students) were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee. Ethical approval for this research was granted by the Institutional Review Board of NIILM University Kaithal, Haryana, India, where both authors are affiliated. Written informed consent was obtained from all adult participants and from the parents or legal guardians of minor participants included in the study. Strict protocols were followed to ensure the confidentiality and psychological well-being of all participants.
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