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Research Proposal
Level of Anxiety and Depression COVID-19 and Lockdown in the
Students of School of Development and Social Engineering (SDSE)

Sagar Sunuwar
5-15-2021
 Chapter I

Introduction
Background:
COVID-19: Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pandemic associated with severe respiratory
syndrome. It originated from Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The World Health
Organization (WHO) on 30th January 2020 showed concern for this disease and affirmed it
as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and on 11th March 2020 accepted
this as a pandemic. The ongoing pandemic COVID-19 has been announced by the World
Health Organization as the sixth public health emergency of international concern. In
December 2019 in China Coronavirus was first spotted. People suffering from Corona show
symptoms of fever, dry coughing and breathlessness (Guan et al. 2020 and Holshue et al.
2020).
Quarantine has been used as a preventive measure for centuries to deal with major infectious
outbreaks and it proved to be effective in controlling the spread of infectious diseases such as
cholera and plague in the past (Brooks et al., 2020; Twu et al., 2003; Mandavilli, 2003;
Barbera et al., 2001). Quarantine is the separation and restriction of movement of people who
have potentially been exposed to a contagious disease to ascertain if they become unwell, for
reducing the risk of them infecting others in the community (CDC, 2017).
Many countries have gone through strict lockdown and quarantine implementations affecting
the studies of the students and shift of mode on learning has affected since then.
Depression: According to Wikipedia, Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to
activity. It can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, motivation, feelings, and sense of well-
being. The core symptom of depression is said to be anhedonia, which refers to loss of
interest or a loss of feeling of pleasure in certain activities that usually bring joy to
people. Depressed mood is a symptom of some mood disorders such as major depressive
disorder or dysthymia; it is a normal temporary reaction to life events, such as the loss of a
loved one; and it is also a symptom of some physical diseases and a side effect of some drugs
and medical treatments. It may feature sadness, difficulty in thinking and concentration and a
significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping. People experiencing
depression may have feelings of dejection, hopelessness and, sometimes, suicidal thoughts. It
can either be short term or long term.
Anxiety: According to Wikipedia, Anxiety is an emotion characterized by an unpleasant state
of inner chaos, often accompanied by nervous behavior such as pacing back and
forth, somatic complaints, and rumination. It includes subjectively unpleasant feelings of
dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness and worry, usually
generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as
menacing. It is often accompanied by muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue, inability to
catch one's breath, tightness in the abdominal region, and problems in concentration. Anxiety
is closely related to fear, which is a response to a real or perceived immediate threat; anxiety
involves the expectation of future threat including dread. People facing anxiety may
withdraw from situations which have provoked anxiety in the past.

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There are various ways to measure anxiety and depression. In this study, Hospital Anxiety
and Depression Scale is used to measure the level of depression and anxiety in the
respondents.
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), developed by Zigmond and Snaith in
1983, is recognised as a reliable, valid and practical tool in hospital populations. The HADS
is a fourteen item scale that generates: Seven of the items relate to anxiety and seven relate to
depression. HADS is acceptable to both patients and non-patients. Hence, it is an adequate
psychiatric screening instrument. (Wikipedia)
The items on the questionnaire that relate to anxiety are

 I feel tense or wound up

 I get a sort of frightened feeling as if something awful is about to happen
 Worrying thoughts go through my mind
 I can sit at ease and feel relaxed
 I get a sort of frightened feeling like 'butterflies' in the stomach
 I feel restless as I have to be on the move
 I get sudden feelings of panic
The items that relate to depression are:

 I still enjoy the things I used to enjoy

 I can laugh and see the funny side of things
 I feel cheerful
 I feel as if I am slowed down
 I have lost interest in my appearance
 I look forward with enjoyment to things
 I can enjoy a good book or radio or TV program
Each item on the questionnaire is scored from 0-3 and this means that a person can score
between 0 and 21 for either anxiety or depression.
If the score is:
0-7= Normal
8-10= Borderline Abnormal
11-21= Abnormal Case
Statement of the Problem:
Students are suffering from anxiety and depression due to this COVID-19. There have been
very few researches which study the level of depression and anxiety in the student during
COVID-19 and lockdown. In addition, there are few studies in the context of Nepal and
Pokhara University.

Objective of the Research:

General Objective: To measure the level of Anxiety and Depression during COVID-19 and
lockdown.

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Specific Objective:
 To measure the level of Depression in the students of SDSE using HADS.
 To measure the level of Anxiety in the students of SDSE using HADS.

Research Question:
 What is the level of Depression in the students of SDSE using HADS?
 What is the To measure the level of Anxiety in the students of SDSE using HADS?

Hypothesis:
Since, this study is exploratory and descriptive in nature there is no hypothesis of this
research.

Significance of the Study:

Since, there have been very few researches which study the level of depression and anxiety
in the student during COVID-19 and lockdown. This study will try to enlighten the level of
depression and anxiety in the students of the SDSE.

Chapter II

Literature Review:
The COVID-19 is challenging the psychological capacity of the public to deal with ongoing
crises (Wang et al., 2020). This is not applicable to individuals with COVID-19 only but also
those who are bound to be in lockdown for a long time during a lockdown. The pandemic is
not only causing deaths worldwide but also creating psychological pressure for persons with
COVID-19 and healthy individuals (Duan and Zhu, 2020). High levels of stress and anxiety
are natural responses towards any sort of unnatural situation (Royand Tripathy, 2020).
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus the mental health of various affected
populations. It is known that the prevalence of epidemics creates new stressors including fear
and worry for oneself or loved ones, constraints on physical movement and social activities
due to quarantine, and sudden and radical lifestyle changes. Anxiety and depression levels
will definitely rise but the question is how to manage this stress before it becomes
devastating. It is quite natural that people will go through great stress and bigger anxiety
symptoms due to this pandemic. General public is frightened and there is fear among the
mass relating to their health and wellbeing of their loved ones, economic downturn and
uncertainty about the future. The media coverage is also feeding to the anxiety levels.
Quarantine and social isolation can add to the stress and anxiety levels and may lead to
increase one’s signs of depression. Studies conducted on the impact of quarantine and social
isolation after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and 2014
and Ebola outbreak have reported negative psychological effects on the mass including post-

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traumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger. The stressors after long quarantine duration
are mostly fears of infection, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate
information, financial loss, and stigma.
A recent review of virus outbreaks and pandemics documented stressors such as infection
fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and
stigma. Much of the current literature on psychological impacts of COVID-19 has emerged
from the earliest hot spots in China. Although several studies have assessed mental health
issues during epidemics, most have focused on health workers, patients, children, and the
general population. For example, a recent poll by The Kaiser Family Foundation showed that
47% of those sheltering in place reported negative mental health effects resulting from worry
or stress related to COVID-19. Nelson et al have found elevated levels of anxiety and
depressive symptoms among general population samples in North America and Europe.
However, with the exception of a few studies, notably from China, there is sparse evidence of
the psychological or mental health effects of the current pandemic on college students, who
are known to be a vulnerable population. Although the findings from these studies thus far
converge on the uptick of mental health issues among college students, the contributing
factors may not necessarily be generalizable to populations in other countries. As highlighted
in multiple recent correspondences, there is an urgent need to assess effects of the current
pandemic on the mental health and well-being of college students.

Chapter III

Research Methodology:
Study Area: The study is going to be conducted online through google form.
Research Design: In this research, cross-sectional, exploratory and descriptive research
design will be adopted.
Study Population, Sample Size and Sampling Procedure: In this research, the study
population will be the students of SDSE, PU. Furthermore, 50 students from BDEVS and
BECS will be taken as sample size for this study through convenience sampling technique or
voluntary sampling technique.
Nature and Sources of Data: Quantitative data will be collected for this research. For the
study, primary sources of data will be collected using structured and semi-structured
questionnaire with closed-ended question.
Methods of Data Collection: Primary data will be collected by using structured
questionnaire with close-ended questions.
Reliability and Validity: For the reliability of this study, the internal consistence of HADs
expressed as Cronbach’s alpha is 0.68-0.93. Similarly for the validity, the standard HADs
questions are asked without any modification.

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 Ethical Consideration: The consent of the participants will be asked before asking them
questions. The primary objective of the study will be explained to the respondents.
Method of Data Analysis: All the collected quantitative data will be edited, filtered and
endered in SPSS for the analysis. Descriptive statistic will be used for further anlaysis.
Output will be showed by using frequency, percentage, cross tabulation, pie-chat, mean,
minimum value and maximum value.

Work Plan:

Task: 5/15/202 5/17/202 5/18/202 5/20/202 5/22/202 5/25/202

1 1 1 1 1 1

Literature

Review

Questionnai

re design

Data

Collection

Primary

Data

analysis

Report

Writing

Report

Submission

Limitations of the Study:

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The limitation of this study is that it’s sample size. It is conducted only in 50 students as a
result the broad picture of the topic may be still missing. This study doesn’t truly picturize the
level of anxiety and depression among the students because HADs has also its disadvantages.
References:

1. Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020). Effects of

COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview

Survey Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e21279.

https://doi.org/10.2196/21279

2. Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020). Effects of

COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview

Survey Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e21279.

https://doi.org/10.2196/21279

3. Risal A, Manandhar K, Linde M, Koju R, Steiner TJ, Holen A. Reliability and

Validity of a Nepali-language Version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression

Scale (HADS). Kathmandu Univ Med J 2015;50(2):115-24.

4. Wikipedia contributors. (2021, January 9). Hospital Anxiety and Depression

Scale. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospital_Anxiety_and_Depression_Scale

5. Wikipedia contributors. (2021b, May 13). Depression (mood). Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_(mood)#Measures

Wikipedia contributors. (2021b, May 13). Anxiety. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety

6. Barraca, M. (n.d.). Effects of Covid 19 Quarantine on the Mental Health of

College Students at Adzu.

Https://Www.Academia.Edu/45029675/Effects_of_Covid_19_Quarantine_on

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 _the_Mental_Health_of_College_Students_at_Adzu.

https://www.academia.edu/45029675/Effects_of_Covid_19_Quarantine_on_th

e_Mental_Health_of_College_Students_at_Adzu

7. Satpathy, B., & Ali, E. (2020). A study on psychological well-being of final

year management students during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in india.

The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(2), 1–3.

https://www.academia.edu/43142870/A_study_on_psychological_well_being_

of_final_year_management_students_during_COVID_19_pandemic_lockdow

n_in_India

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