Jackson 1

Kolin‌‌Jackson‌‌

Mrs.‌‌Brower‌‌

Adv.‌‌Comp‌‌

11‌‌Mar.‌‌2021‌‌

Does‌‌the‌‌pandemic‌‌cause‌‌students‌to‌have‌‌mental‌‌issues?
Have‌‌you‌‌ever‌‌felt‌‌down‌‌and‌‌lonely‌‌during‌‌the‌‌Covid-19‌‌pandemic? To‌‌let‌‌you‌

‌know‌‌you‌‌are‌‌not‌‌alone. ‌So‌‌many‌‌people‌‌all‌‌over‌‌the‌‌world, ‌mostly‌‌students,‌‌are‌

‌experiencing‌‌this‌‌terrible‌‌situation‌‌and‌‌have‌‌so‌‌many‌‌things‌‌they‌‌need‌‌to‌‌try‌‌to‌

‌overcome.‌‌Studies‌‌have‌‌shown‌‌that‌‌the‌‌pandemic‌‌is‌‌causing‌‌students‌‌to‌‌go‌‌through‌

‌severe‌‌depression,‌‌anxiety,‌‌and‌‌etc..‌‌Also‌‌so‌‌many‌‌students‌‌are‌‌now‌‌worried‌‌about‌‌how‌

‌their‌‌future‌‌career‌s ‌might‌‌get‌‌messed‌‌up‌‌with‌the ‌less‌‌time‌they have ‌with‌‌in‌‌person‌

‌learning.‌Many‌‌students‌‌also‌‌worry‌‌about‌‌not‌‌being‌‌able‌‌to‌‌see‌‌their‌‌friends‌‌and‌‌family‌

‌back‌‌home.‌The pandemic has really changed the students' mental mind and their

desire to stay in school to get the degree they want to achieve.

The pandemic has affected so many students and has had a huge impact on

their mental health, including: depression, anxiety, and etc.. During the students' school

year they had to go through so much fight with the pandemic and go through all the ups

and downs through the year. A study shows that, students said that their own personal

and academic lives are being affected dramatically due to: depression, anxiety, sleep

paralysis (Babb‌‌2).‌This shows that the pandemic and school mixed together is so hard

to go through and really drains all of your energy right out of yourself. Another example

that explains why pandemic is an issue to students is, many studies that I have

previewed has shown that students are getting less sleep and their mental issues are

increasing by a lot everyday ‌(Babb‌‌13).‌As you can see here, students are getting less
 Jackson 2

sleep because they are staying up extremely late to get extra studying hours in because

they can not go into class due to the pandemic closing in person learning. This makes

the students less willing to do their work and get in their own head saying that they will

not succeed in the career they want to do, which makes them lose seats and become

depressed. College students are experiencing hard challenges due to the pandemic, for

example students have to adapt to the course changing and have to adapt to the new

learning style, and this cause the depression and anxiety to these students (Babb‌3).‌

Students' mental health is a serious thing to worry about and with the pandemic it brings

in another stresser and makes the students anxiety go through the roof and also loses

sleep.

During the dreadful and horrible pandemic that these students have to go

through, it is not just the health that drags them down, it is also the thought of not

getting the job they want. Many of the students have stressed about not being able to

graduate on time and have to do another year to get caught up. For example, “‌‌the‌

‌commonest‌‌stressor‌‌was‌‌frustration‌‌because‌‌of‌‌study‌‌disruption‌‌during‌‌COVID-19,‌

‌leading‌‌to‌‌feelings‌‌of‌‌uncertainty‌‌about‌‌the‌‌future‌‌as‌‌a‌‌consequence‌‌of‌‌delay‌‌in‌

‌students’‌‌graduation‌‌time,‌‌lack‌‌of‌‌practical‌‌sessions‌‌and‌‌guidance,‌‌difficulties‌‌in‌

‌following‌‌online‌‌classes‌‌because‌‌of‌‌internet‌‌problems,‌‌difficulty‌‌adjusting‌‌to‌‌new‌‌norms‌

‌of‌‌learning,‌‌and‌‌loss‌‌of‌‌momentum‌‌to‌‌study‌” ‌(Woon‌‌6).‌this shows how the pandemic

has affected graduation and how students have to adjust to learn the new form of

learning, which is learning from behind a screen and not hands on work. Another

example is that many students are not achieving their goals and have been having to

spend extra time on their work. During the pandemic, school is a very big stressor in the
 Jackson 3

students life and also the pandemic has been causing the dropout rate to go up and

needs to be focused on how to make the academic achievement go up ‌(Babb‌‌13).‌this

quote shows that the academic achievement rate has been gradually going down and

also students have been dropping out because of the constant pressure of having to do

so much extra work to be able to comprehend the correct material needed for their

future goals. M‌any cases show that there is a higher percentage of lower income

students that tend to drop out than students with a higher income, because the

pandemic is causing the students to not be able to have jobs and make the money they

need. (Rana‌‌90).‌

Students have lost so much during their school year because of the pandemic.

The constant worry of not being able to see your own family and friends puts so many

negative thoughts in a students head. So many students have lost many job

opportunities and money that would come with it. Students are more likely need to have

assistance from their friends and family, and many of their job opportunities were taken

away from them and put them into a really stressful place ‌(Babb‌‌12).‌This goes to show

that the pandemic did not only affect a students health but even their job opportunities,

the students have lost money that they could have made from their jobs but some

decide to stay another year to re-learn the stuff for a better understanding. However,

financial issues have had a major impact on students' mental health because they are

having to pay for schooling and resources, but don't have a job due to the pandemic

(Nochaiwong‌‌2).‌ This is a perfect example of how students have gone through a big

financial crisis during the pandemic and this could have impacted their student loans by
 Jackson 4

not making the money they could have been making. By missing out on the job

opportunities they now have to apply for more businesses and learn more information to

get to know what they are studying. These‌‌students‌‌were‌‌already‌‌juggling‌‌school,‌‌work,‌

‌and‌‌family,‌‌and‌‌the‌‌additional‌‌challenges‌‌brought‌‌on‌‌by‌‌COVID-19‌‌may‌‌significantly‌

‌delay‌‌enrollment‌‌and/or‌‌graduation,‌‌reduce‌‌retention,‌‌and‌‌increase‌‌mental‌‌health‌‌issues‌

‌(Babb‌‌3).‌ Just another last example of why the pandemic has created a major impact

on so many students lives throughout the whole world, and put so many students

through their worst, and have put so many negative thoughts into their head making

them think they will never be able to succeed in their future careers and jet the job they

always wanted. Since social distancing and the transition from in person to online

learning has happened, students have become more mentally stressed because they

are not getting the love and attention that they need to stay positive and happy (Babb‌

‌2).‌This fact shows how social distancing has affected many people from not being able

to see their friends nor their own family, not being able to see them puts them in a really

dark place because they are not able to see them and get the love and affection they

need to have the confidence.

To‌‌conclude,‌‌the‌‌pandemic‌‌has‌‌a‌‌huge‌‌impact‌‌on‌‌students'‌‌health.‌‌And‌‌has‌

‌affected‌‌many‌students'‌‌future‌‌goals‌‌and‌‌lossed‌‌so‌‌many‌‌opportunities‌‌with‌‌friends‌

‌and‌‌their‌‌families.‌‌Also‌‌lossed‌‌opportunities‌‌on‌‌their‌‌future‌‌job‌‌goals.‌‌As‌‌the‌

‌pandemic‌‌goes‌‌on‌‌make‌‌sure‌‌to‌‌stay‌‌close‌‌to‌‌friends‌‌and‌‌family‌‌and‌‌always‌‌keep‌

‌your‌‌spirits‌‌high.‌‌If‌‌you‌‌are‌‌ever‌‌feeling‌‌depressed‌‌or‌‌just‌‌sad‌‌in‌‌any‌‌way,‌‌just‌‌know‌
 Jackson 5

‌that‌‌your‌‌friends‌‌and‌‌family‌‌will‌‌always‌‌be‌‌with‌‌you‌‌and‌‌help‌‌you‌‌through‌‌the‌‌ups‌

‌and‌‌downs.‌‌After‌‌hearing‌‌about‌‌how‌‌the‌‌pandemic‌‌has‌‌affected‌‌many‌‌students‌‌all‌

‌over‌‌the‌‌world.‌‌You‌‌can‌‌clearly‌‌see‌‌how‌‌hard‌‌it‌‌has‌‌been‌‌for‌‌the‌‌students‌‌and‌‌how‌‌it‌

‌changed‌‌them.‌Just because the pandemic has changed the world does not mean

you quit what you are doing, push through the hard fighting challenges and achieve

your goal.

Works Cited

Babb, Stephanie J., et al. “Assessing the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nontraditional Students’

Mental Health and Well-Being.” Adult Education Quarterly, vol. 72, no. 2, May 2022, pp. 140–57.

EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1177/07417136211027508.

Rana, Susheela, et al. “Study of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among First Year Medical Students in

Government Medical College, Himachal Pradesh during COVID-19 Pandemic.” Asian Journal of

Medical Sciences, vol. 12, no. 6, June 2021, pp. 90–94. EBSCOhost,

https://doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v12i6.36687.

Nochaiwong, Surapon, et al. “Global Prevalence of Mental Health Issues among the General Population

during the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.”

Scientific Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, May 2021, pp. 1–18. EBSCOhost,

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89700-8.

Woon, Luke Sy-Cherng, et al. “Depression, Anxiety, and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Severity of Symptoms

and Associated Factors among University Students after the End of the Movement Lockdown.”

PLoS ONE, vol. 16, no. 5, May 2021, pp. 1–18. EBSCOhost,
 Jackson 6

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252481.