The Effect of the Pandemic on the Mental Health of the Senior High School students of Saint Anthony

College of Roxas City

Backgoround of the study

Viruses was not new to our world in fact many viruses have come to us before such as,

the Black plague or what they call the “Black death” was a devastating global of bubonic

plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s, and the Influenza or the

“Spanish Flu” that impact on American society of (H1N1) the influenza subtype, which first

appeared in the United States in March 1918, and occur also in Europe and the midst part of

Asia. There were periodic, minor outbreaks for six months, but in September a highly fatal

second wave of influenza broke out across the country and lasted through January 1919. Within

days of being exposed, patients became gravely ill and many died. And now we facing another

pandemic the Corona Virus or the “Covid-19” that starts in Wuhan, China and infected the globe

in very fast amount of time. It is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory

illness and recover without requiring special treatment.  Older people, and those with underlying

medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer

are more likely to develop serious illness.

Its impact on humans is enormous, not only in physical health but also in our mental health. even

though, I also experience anxiety every time I go out of the house and socialize with many

people around me because I maybe get be infected of COVID 19. Mental health refers to

cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. It is all about how people think, feel, and
behave. And also, it can affect daily living, relationships, and physical health. However, this link

also works in the other direction. Factors in people’s lives, interpersonal connections, and

physical factors can all contribute to mental health disruptions. Looking after mental health can

preserve a person’s ability to enjoy life. Doing this involves reaching a balance between life

activities, responsibilities, and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Conditions such as

stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect mental health and disrupt a person’s routine.

For example, a study conducted by Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020)

Among the effects of the pandemic identified, the most prominent was worries about one’s own health

and the health of loved ones, followed by difficulty concentrating. These findings are in line with recent

studies in China that also found concerns relating to health of oneself and of family members being

highly prevalent among the general population during the pandemic. Difficulty in concentrating,

frequently expressed by our participants, has previously been shown to adversely affect students’

confidence in themselves, which has known correlations to increased stress and mental health [30]. In

comparison with stress and anxiety in college students’ general life, it appears that countermeasures put

in place against COVID-19, such as shelter-in-place orders and social distancing practices, may have

underpinned significant changes in students’ lives. For example, a vast majority of the participants noted

changes in social relationships, largely due to limited physical interactions with their families and

friends. This is similar to recent findings of deteriorated mental health status among Chinese students

[10] and increased internet search queries on negative thoughts in the United States [31]. The findings

on the impact of the pandemic on sleeping and eating habits are also a cause for concern, as these

variables have known correlations with depressive symptoms and anxiety. Although a majority of

participants expressed concerns regarding academic performance, interestingly, almost half of the

participants reported lower stress levels related to academic pressure and class workload since the
pandemic began. This may be due, in part, to decisions taken by professors and the university to ease

the students’ sudden transition to distance learning. For instance, this university allowed students to

choose a pass/fail option for each course instead of a regular letter grade. Additionally, actions taken by

professors, such as reduced course loads, open book examinations, and other allowances on grading

requirements, could also have contributed to alleviating or reducing stress. Although participants who

returned to their parental home reported concerns about distractions and independence, students

might have benefited from family support and reduced social responsibilities. Therefore, the increased

stress due to the pandemic may have been offset, at least to some extent. Alarmingly, 44% (86/195) of

the participants reported experiencing an increased level of depressive thoughts, and 8% (16/195)

reported having suicidal thoughts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research [32]

reported about 3%-7% of the college student population to have suicidal thoughts outside of the

pandemic situation. Furthermore, with the exception of high-burnout categories, depression levels

among students, reported in several recent studies [33-35], have varied between 29% and 38%, which

may suggest an uptick in pandemic-related depressive symptoms among college students similar to

recent studies in China. Although our participants specifically mentioned several factors such as feelings

of loneliness, powerlessness, as well as financial and academic uncertainties, other outcomes that were

perceived to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic may also act as contributors to depressive

thoughts and suicidal ideation. In particular, both difficulty concentrating and changes in sleeping habits

are associated with depression.