HRD CHALLENGE 2022

Impact of The Pandemic on Mental Health of The Younger

Generation in The New Normal Era

Health in the New Normal Era

By :

Nazli Amaliya Ramadhani (215091001111019)

Luna Putri Aurelia (215091007111005)

Husnul Khatimah (215090501111009)

Brawijaya University

Malang

2022
 Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has entered its third year since the first case of COVID-19
was discovered. After the announcement of the decline in the number of COVID-19
cases, various new policies have been implemented globally, including Indonesia. The
challenge that children must face in the era of the new normal is the mental and
emotional health of them. The emergence of pandemic puts stress on various walks of
life. Some related studies about pandemics indicate the presence of a negative impact
to the mental health of people with COVID-19. Mental health is ignored in response
plans to the coronavirus pandemic even though aspects of mental health are just as
important with physical health. Referring to the survey, at least 83% of the 130 the
state has included mental health in the plan of facing pandemic. The pandemic has
made the younger generation more susceptible to mental health problems such as
stress, depression, anxiety, and suicide thoughts than the older generation.

Keyword : Mental Health, Pandemic, Younger Generation, New Normal

I. Introduction

The Covid-19 pandemic has entered its third year since the first case of
COVID-19 was discovered. When it was first announced, various efforts were made
to suppress the spread of Covid-19. WHO urges the implementation of some fairly
strict health protocols such as wearing masks, washing hands and social and physical
activity restrictions. Several countries have implemented a lockdown by closing
access to and from the country. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the implementation of the
new health protocol began after the announcement of the first case in March 2020.
Almost all parts of Indonesia implemented a system of social and physical activity
restrictions and the use of masks with the enactment of Large-Scale Social
Restrictions (PSBB). In addition, the Government through the Ministry of Education
and Culture also announced that teaching and learning activities in schools were
closed, and set learning through online media. This policy is in line with the policies
implemented in other countries. As of April 8, 2020, schools in 188 countries were
closed. According to UNESCO more than 90% of registered students (1.5 billion
children) worldwide are currently not in education (Lee, 2020).

Currently, after the announcement of the decline in the number of COVID-19

cases, various new policies have been implemented globally, including Indonesia.
However, it should be realized that the various new policies have a post-pandemic
impact on the community. The generation most affected by the impact of the
post-pandemic is the younger generation, especially children and adolescents of
school age. The challenge that children must face is the era of the new normal. Based
on data from Unicef as of 2021, the pandemic has had a broad secondary impact on 80
million Indonesian children and their daily lives. The education of millions of children
and youth has been disrupted, access to health services, nutrition and protection has
been greatly affected.
 The mental and emotional health of children is a major concern because there
is a major disruption in children's daily routines. Prolonged school closures, social
isolation from peers, and pressure to study at home with limited guidance have a
major impact on children. The pressure experienced, especially in the learning system,
which continues to require children to do assignments as a substitute for the two-way
learning system that is normally carried out by teachers in the classroom. These
demands produce feelings of fatigue and excessive anxiety because of the time
assigned to tasks that almost all children spend at home. This certainly greatly affects
the mental health of children and adolescents. Whereas mental health is important for
adolescents, especially related to lack of quality sleep, difficulty focusing, often
forgetting and can make adolescents demotivated in learning so that learning is
lacking (Fitria & Ifdil, 2020; Nurkholis, 2020).

Social media is also a problem for the mental health of children and
adolescents, where during a pandemic access to social media becomes easier. The
younger generation is more susceptible to mental health disorders such as stress,
depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts than the previous generation (Prawira, 2021),
one of which is because of the high use of social media (Utami & Pujiningsih, 2022).
Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the mental health condition of the
younger generation after the Covid-19 pandemic.

II. Body

According to WHO (2020) the emergence of pandemic puts stress on various

walks of life. Even though far there have been no reviews systematic about the impact
of COVID-19 to mental health, a number of pandemic-related studies indicates the
presence of a negative impact to the mental health of the sufferer. (Ministry of Health
ri, 2020a). On the 10th October 2020 in order to commemorate mental health day
worldwide, World Mental Health Day (WHO) conducts a survey on mental health and
is associated with the current state of the world experiencing the COVID-19
pandemic. Result surveys are known that in many countries which report increased
access towards mental health services it can be concluded that COVID-19 impacts on
mental health. However, mental health is ignored in response plans to the coronavirus
pandemic even though aspects of mental health are just as important with physical
health. Referring to the survey, at least 83% of the 130 the state has included mental
health in the plan of facing pandemic (WHO, 2020 ). Fear, worry and stress is a
normal response to a threat the perceived or real and at the moment faced with
uncertainty or the unknown (WHO, 2020). The COVID 19 pandemic is non-natural
disasters that can impact on conditions of mental and psychosocial health (Ministry of
Health ri, 2020a).

In times COVID 19 pandemic general response from well-affected

communities direct or indirect is fear sick and died, unwilling to come to health care
facilities for fear contracted while being treated, fear of losing livelihoods because
 they can't work during insulation and removal from work, fear of exile
community/quarantined due to associated with the disease, feel powerless to protect
the family and fear of losing because of the virus spreading, fear of separation with
family due to quarantine rules, refusing to take care of young children who are alone
or separate, the presenter disabled or elderly persons for fear of infection, feeling no
empowered, boredom, loneliness and depression (Committee, 2020).

Exposure to information about the virus excessive corona can trigger anxiety,
worry as well as stress. Even not infrequently the body feels symptoms similar to
COVID-19 after receiving information related to the symptoms of viral infection
Corona. Symptoms that appear actually are the confectionery of the disorder
psychosomatics where some infestationing it like shortness of breath that is a
confectionery of COVID-19 infection. Psychosomatics is a disorder or disease with
symptoms that resembles a physical illness that is caused due to psychological factors
or certain psychosocial events. It is resulting from a lack of adaptability in the face of
stress. Psychosomatics can occur through emotional processes in the form of stress
that are not able to be well adapted (Sofia, 2020).

In addition, for health workers who are at the forefront of the factor additional
causes of stress during the outbreak COVID-19 can become more severe among them
stigmatization of people who treat COVID-19 patients and his remains, steps-rare
biosecurity tight, personal protective equipment limiting movement, physical isolation
so that complicates efforts to help people who pain or distress, alertness and constant
vigilance, higher job demands including long working time with the number of
patients is increasing as well as recent practices that change with development of
COVID-19 information, societal stigma against line officers leading the way that
cares for COVID-19 patients, lack of information about exposure long-term in people
who infected with COVID 19 and fear frontline officers will transmit COVID-19 due
to his work (Committee, 2020). Risk communication and community empowerment is
an important component that can not be separated in the scrolling public health
emergency response. Risk communication and empowerment community can help
prevent wrong dissemination/hoax, constructive public trust in government
preparedness and response so that the community can obtain well informed and
following government recommendations so that minimize misunderstandings and
managing issues/hoaxes against conditions and health risks, one of which is mental
health disorders (Ministry of Health RI, 2020).

III. Conclusion

A number of actions have been taken to stop the spread of Covid-19 since it
was first reported, and Indonesia is no exception. It should be noted, however, that
many of the new policies have had a post-pandemic effect on society. The younger
generation, especially school-age children and adolescents, are the ones most affected
by the post-pandemic.
 The disturbance of children's regular routines raises serious concerns for their
mental and emotional health. Children are significantly impacted by extended school
closures, social isolation from friends, and pressure to study at home with little
supervision. A pandemic makes it easier for people to use social media, which is bad
for children's and teenagers' mental health. The younger age is more prone than the
older generation to mental health conditions such stress, depression, anxiety, and
suicide thoughts.

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