Mental Health of College Students Amidst COVID-19: Implications for Reopening of Colleges and Universities.

Dear Sir,

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of college students and research scholars. Among college students, recent evidence highlights a spectrum of psychological consequences such as increased levels of stress, loneliness, over-thinking, anxiety, depressive thoughts, sleep disruptions, difficulty concentrating, anger, increased concerns about academic performance, and a heightened sense of uncertainty about their academic and professional career.[1-4] Furthermore, this situation may exacerbate the psychological symptoms of those students with existing mental illness and increase some students’ risk for suicide and substance abuse.[5] Some additional challenges are financial struggles, health complications within the family, death of dear ones, and the fear of getting the infection and transmitting it to their family members.[6] As compared to the general population, college students are in a vulnerable phase of transition, experiencing uncertainty about career and academic pressure while the world is barely managing to recover from the pandemic.[7] Unlike the school students, challenges in internship or research, worries about the future, disrupted job market, and financial crisis uniquely affect the college students.

It is commendable that many colleges and universities have responded promptly by starting remote education. Although online classes have allowed for education to continue amidst the wreck of the pandemic, it hasn’t been the most comfortable for many. This transition can even result in acute stress among some students because of the lack of time to adjust to online learning. Anecdotally, students have also reported complaints such as headache, backache, irritation and watering of the eyes, ear problems, lack of motivation to study online, not feeling involved, missing in-person classes, and screen fatigue. Further, the stigma associated with COVID-19 and mental health can be another important issue that prevents college students from accessing appropriate health care services.

Colleges should be strategizing not only for the educational curriculum but also for the students’ mental health and wellbeing. This can be done by ensuring support through helplines and online support groups made for students whose research projects or study is being affected, making flexible schedules for academic assignments, scheduling weekly online recreational activities, and incorporating reporting on mental health problems as part of regular educational feedback. As colleges are reopening, adequate measures are warranted to promote positive mental health of students, research scholars, and staff. In addition to advisories released by the University Grants Commission,[8] the following strategies could also be considered.

As students start coming in, a campaign focused on positive mental health to cultivate conducive environment in which students feel encouraged and empowered to care for their emotional wellbeing is encouraged.

Consistent communication should be established with students, which should be clear, compassionate, and helpful to them to not just stay connected to get academic updates but also feel emotionally better.

Promote healthy digital habits, as the pandemic has increased dependency on screens, invariably leading to many physical and psychological complaints. At the same time, as social media can potentially help in screening as well as educating college students regarding mental health and wellbeing, positive use of social media should be encouraged.

College students would benefit from weekly recreational or stress management classes that enhance their coping and psychological resilience.

Innovative approaches such as peer support model or saathi (companion) club and formation of student wellbeing committees, implemented by some colleges, can be adopted.

Counseling cells (if any) should be engaged in mental health promotion activities on the campus. Colleges may also consider collaborating with civil service organizations to help students access appropriate levels of care and foster their mental health.

Faculty members should be trained on lay counseling, identifying common mental health problems, providing psychological first-aid, and referring appropriate cases to specialist mental health services.

Lastly, the colleges must not forget to actively address the emotional wellbeing of the college staff and academicians who have equally been contributing to make students’ learning experience worthwhile and promote positive mental health. The staff must be encouraged to prioritize self-care, including getting adequate sleep, healthy eating, regular exercise, refraining from substances, and taking breaks from academics.

The COVID-19 pandemic affects college students’ mental health; however, limited studies on this group accentuate the urgent need to understand their mental health concerns and promote positive mental health with interventions appropriate for the Indian context. More research is needed on the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of college students, their adaptation of coping strategies, and the approaches the academic institutions have taken.