Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of College Students in India: Cross-sectional Web-Based Study

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Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a mental health crisis among college students in India due to lockdown restrictions, overwhelming numbers of COVID-19 cases, financial difficulty, etc. This mental health crisis has led to high degrees of fear, anxiety, and depression among college students.

Objective

The aim of this study is to investigate symptoms of fear, depression, and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic among college students in India.

Methods

This cross-sectional web-based study was conducted using a Google Forms questionnaire. The Google Form included a sociodemographic questionnaire and psychometric scales evaluating the psychological and behavioral impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, both qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed in the study.

Results

A total of 324 college students participated in this study, of whom 180 (55.6%) were male and 144 (44.4%) were female. After assessment of the psychometric scales, it was found that of the 324 students, 223 (68.8%) had high fear of COVID-19, 93 (28.7%) had moderate to severe depression, and 167 (51.5%) had mild to severe anxiety. Among the identified risk factors, having a family member who was infected with COVID-19 was significantly associated with anxiety and depression, with P values of .02 and .001, respectively. In addition, the correlations of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were found to be 0.492 and 0.474, respectively.

Conclusions

This research concludes that there is a very high fear of COVID-19 among students, along with anxiety and depression symptoms. This study also concludes that the Fear of COVID-19 Scale has a moderate positive correlation with the anxiety and depression scales, respectively.

Related collections

Most cited references 36

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The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence

Samantha K. Brooks, Rebecca K Webster, Louise E. Smith … (2022)

Summary The December, 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak has seen many countries ask people who have potentially come into contact with the infection to isolate themselves at home or in a dedicated quarantine facility. Decisions on how to apply quarantine should be based on the best available evidence. We did a Review of the psychological impact of quarantine using three electronic databases. Of 3166 papers found, 24 are included in this Review. Most reviewed studies reported negative psychological effects including post-traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. Stressors included longer quarantine duration, infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma. Some researchers have suggested long-lasting effects. In situations where quarantine is deemed necessary, officials should quarantine individuals for no longer than required, provide clear rationale for quarantine and information about protocols, and ensure sufficient supplies are provided. Appeals to altruism by reminding the public about the benefits of quarantine to wider society can be favourable.

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The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Development and Initial Validation

Daniel Ahorsu, Chung-Ying Lin, Vida Imani … (2020)

Background The emergence of the COVID-19 and its consequences has led to fears, worries, and anxiety among individuals worldwide. The present study developed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) to complement the clinical efforts in preventing the spread and treating of COVID-19 cases. Methods The sample comprised 717 Iranian participants. The items of the FCV-19S were constructed based on extensive review of existing scales on fears, expert evaluations, and participant interviews. Several psychometric tests were conducted to ascertain its reliability and validity properties. Results After panel review and corrected item-total correlation testing, seven items with acceptable corrected item-total correlation (0.47 to 0.56) were retained and further confirmed by significant and strong factor loadings (0.66 to 0.74). Also, other properties evaluated using both classical test theory and Rasch model were satisfactory on the seven-item scale. More specifically, reliability values such as internal consistency (α = .82) and test–retest reliability (ICC = .72) were acceptable. Concurrent validity was supported by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (with depression, r = 0.425 and anxiety, r = 0.511) and the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (with perceived infectability, r = 0.483 and germ aversion, r = 0.459). Conclusion The Fear of COVID-19 Scale, a seven-item scale, has robust psychometric properties. It is reliable and valid in assessing fear of COVID-19 among the general population and will also be useful in allaying COVID-19 fears among individuals.

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Improving the Quality of Web Surveys: The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES)

Gunther Eysenbach (2004)

Analogous to checklists of recommendations such as the CONSORT statement (for randomized trials), or the QUORUM statement (for systematic reviews), which are designed to ensure the quality of reports in the medical literature, a checklist of recommendations for authors is being presented by the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) in an effort to ensure complete descriptions of Web-based surveys. Papers on Web-based surveys reported according to the CHERRIES statement will give readers a better understanding of the sample (self-)selection and its possible differences from a “representative” sample. It is hoped that author adherence to the checklist will increase the usefulness of such reports.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Amar Prashad Chaudhary:

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7109-0312

Department of Pharmacy PracticeMallige College of PharmacyRajiv Gandhi University of Health SciencesSilvepura, Chikkabanavara PostHessarghatta RoadBangalore, 560090India91 9304339189pamar419@gmail.com

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): JMIRx Med

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): JMIRx Med

Journal ID (publisher-id): JMIRxMed

Title: Jmirx Med

Publisher: JMIR Publications (Toronto, Canada )

ISSN (Electronic): 2563-6316

Publication date Collection: Jul-Sep 2021

Publication date (Electronic): 2 September 2021

Volume: 2

Issue: 3

Electronic Location Identifier: e28158

Affiliations

[1 ] Department of Pharmacy Practice Mallige College of Pharmacy Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Bangalore India

[2 ] Department of Pharmacology Mallige College of Pharmacy Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Bangalore India

[3 ] Department of Pharmaceutics Mallige College of Pharmacy Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Bangalore India

Author notes

Corresponding Author: Amar Prashad Chaudhary pamar419@ 123456gmail.com

Author information

Amar Prashad Chaudhary https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7109-0312

Narayan Sah Sonar https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3517-2537

Jamuna TR https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3298-7834

Moumita Banerjee https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2452-2976

Shailesh Yadav https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1189-6722

Article

Publisher ID: v2i3e28158

DOI: 10.2196/28158

PMC ID: 8422937

PubMed ID: 34606521

SO-VID: 8fda177b-e823-4c23-a13f-a5da3a03ed42

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIRx Med, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://med.jmirx.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

History

Date received : 23 February 2021

Date revision requested : 20 May 2021

Date revision received : 10 June 2021

Date accepted : 13 July 2021

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