INTRODUCTION 

Because it affects an individual’s capacity to function, cope with stress, and achieve their objectives, mental health is an important component of total well-being. COVID-19 has been studied in terms of its influence on college students. It has been successfully demonstrated that college student’s mental health has deteriorated since levels of stress, anxiety, and depressed thoughts among college students have risen dramatically. However, research on diverse students from different backgrounds and cultures, as well as different age groups when brains are still growing, is scarce. Mental health is a challenging subject that deserves more attention. As a result, I suggest a larger-scale study of the impact of COVID-19 on college students from various backgrounds and cultures.

BACKGROUND

Emotional, psychological, and social well-being are critical components of mental health. Anxiety, sadness, PTSD, and mood disorders are all common mental health issues. Because everyone is in danger of developing a mental health problem, it is critical to maintain excellent mental health throughout one’s life to perform well and manage problems. Adolescent mental health is one of the most urgent issues in the United States. Furthermore, many students anxiety and stress levels increased during the Covid 19 lockdown. To demonstrate, “Out of 195 participants, 138 (71%) indicated that their stress and anxiety had increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”(“Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study”).  It is frightening to see how much COVID has influenced one school in the United States. The upheaval in their daily routine, as well as their uncertainty about what would happen with their schooling, had a significant impact on their mental health.

METHODS

Changwon Son, Sudeep Hegde, Alec Smith, Xiaomei Wang, Farzan Sasangohar.“Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study.”  Journal of Medical Internet Research, 3 Sept. 2020, doi:10.2196/21279.

https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e21279/

This study used an interview survey with college students from a big public university in the United States to determine the impact of COVID-19 on them. According to the findings of the survey, 71% of college students are experiencing increased stress, worry, and depressed thoughts. However, because this study was conducted at only one university in the United States, we cannot be certain that there was any variety. A study with students from several institutions, so there may be a diverse range of individuals from various backgrounds and cultures.

“The College Student Mental Health Crisis | the Light Program.” The Light Program, 22 July 2020, thelightprogram.pyramidhealthcarepa.com/the-college-student-mental-health-crisis.

The Mental Health Crisis Among College Students

This article defines mental health, its importance, and the causes of mental illness, such as peer pressure, financial concerns, and reduced stigma, as well as approaches to treat mental health and resources.

Batra, Kavita, et al. “Assessing the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Among College Students: An Evidence of 15 Countries.” MDPI, 17 Feb. 2021, doi:10.3390/healthcare9020222.

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/2/222/htm

This research study emphasizes the negative psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on college students from all continents. It found that students suffered from depression, PTSD, anxiety, and sleep deprivation due to the adjustment from having day-to-day contact on campus to being imprisoned indoors. However, the study only included one study from North America and 18 studies from Asia, which may affect the research results.

Browning MHEM, Larson LR, Sharaievska I, Rigolon A, McAnirlin O, et al. (2021) Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States. PLOS ONE 16(1): e0245327.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245327

This article focuses on the psychological effects of COVID-19 on college students. The major goal was to learn more about how the students cope and the key factors of their health. They applied the survey approach in seven different states in the United States. Some of the findings included a lack of motivation, anxiety, tension, and sadness among the pupils. However, they did utilize a big number of individuals (14,174), which might be a negative element because it creates the door for additional mistakes. Additionally, the age range (18-64) was too broad. 

OUTCOMES

Overall, mental health among college students should be addressed; the way we live today will determine the good decisions we make in the future. The research I’ve shown before clearly demonstrates the harmful impact of COVID-19 among college students, as well as its reasons and how students felt during the lockdown. However, there was not much research on students after the lockdown, the studies are very limited when it comes to students’ age, we all know that as we get older we get to know ourselves and how to handle our emotions, that is why I propose a wider age range of students, additionally, the studies I presented lacked a personal one to one connection with the students they were all done by questionnaire and that could lead to errors or misinformation from students themselves We can aid college students and their needs by encouraging new research and making it more inclusive in terms of age range, students from varied backgrounds, and cultures. Creating a more personal environment between the interviewer and the students so that we may give honest answers.