A Minor Project Report

On

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON MENTAL HEALTH

OF THE COLLEGE STUDENTS

Under the guidance of

Ms. Neha Kumar

(Project Mentor)

Submitted By

GARIMA

(20BCOM07)

School of Management

THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY

GURUGRAM

DECEMBER, 2021
 CERTIFICATE

This to certify that Garima, student of The Northcap University, Gurugram has
successfully completed the research project on “Impact of Covid-19 on Mental
Health on the college students” under the guidance of Ms. Neha Kumar in
partial fulfillment of the degree of Bachelor of Commerce to The Northcap
University, Gurugram. The results embodied in this project have not been
submitted to any other university/institute for award of any degree.

_________________
Ms. Neha Kumar
(School of Management)
Contents

1. Acknowledgement

2. Declaration
3. Preface
4. Abstract
4. Chapter 1:
• Introduction
• Background
• Objective
• Hypothesis

5. Chapter 2:
• Review of literature

6. Chapter 3:
• Research and methodology

7. Chapter 4:
• Analysis and Interpretation
8. Chapter 5:
• Conclusion
9. Chapter 6:
• Bibliography
 Acknowledgement

I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible
without the kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. I
would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.

I am highly indebted to Ms. Neha Kumar, my project mentor, for her guidance
and constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information
regarding the project and also for her support in completing the project.

Furthermore, I would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the

crucial role of the research and work done.

I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents and member of The

NorthCap University for their kind co-operation and encouragement which
helped me in completion of this project. At last, my thanks and appreciations
also go to my classmates in developing the project and people who have
willingly helped me out with their abilities.
 DECLARATION CERTIFICATE

I Garima Roll No. 20bcom07 declares that the minor project report entitled
“Impact of Covid-19 on the Mental Health of the College Students” is
prepared by me and is and is an authentic work carried out by me.

The content encapsulated in this report has not submitted earlier for any degree
or diploma to the best of my knowledge and belief.
I further certify that:
1. The work contained in the report is original and has been done by me
under the general supervision of my mentor.
2. I have followed the guidelines provided by the university to prepare the
project report.
3. Whenever I have used materials (Data, text and figures) from other
sources, I have given due credit to them in the report, and I have also
given their details for references.

Garima
Roll No – 20bcom07
Preface

It is a great opportunity for me to study Bachelors in Commerce, The Northcap

University.

“Impact of Covid-19 on Mental Health

of the College Students”

Subject to the limitations of time, efforts and resources, every possible attempt
has been made to study the problem deeply. The whole project has been
analyzed deeply taking into consideration how the stock market, debt market
and banks are impacted by the inflation prevailing in the economy. The effort
has been made to explain the observations through data and graphical
representations.

The whole project has been divided into 4 chapters:

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature Review
• Chapter 3: Conclusion
• Chapter 4: Bibliography
ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis affecting several nations, with
over 34,648,383 cases and 473,757 confirmed deaths reported till date. Such
widespread outbreaks are associated with adverse mental health consequences.
It is contagious disease which causes infection in nose, sinuses or upper throat
or in lower throat i.e., in windpipe and lungs. Infections ranges from mild to
deadly.
Studies shows that young students are less likely to get seriously sick due to
Covid-19 but it has affected them as the colleges and schools got closed, they
were not able to socialize much, dramatic societal changes that have upended
their experiences of higher education. Here we focus on the mental health
consequences of the pandemic and the interdependencies of these impacts.
The study shows that though with the help of technology people are coping with
the pandemic but still some physical meet is required by person. Pandemic hits
students hard with depression, stress, anxiety. Study shows that some utilized
the time well by improving their skills, by spending more time with family.
 CHAPTER-1

1.1 Introduction

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness such as respiratory

diseases or gastrointestinal diseases. Respiratory diseases can range from the
common cold to more severe diseases e.g.

• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV)

Typically, Coronaviruses present with respiratory symptoms. Among those

who will become infected, some will show no symptoms. It is contagious
disease which causes infection in nose, sinuses or upper throat or in lower throat
i.e., in windpipe and lungs. Infections ranges from mild to deadly.

A minority group of people will present with more severe symptoms and
will need to be hospitalized, most often with pneumonia, and in some
instances, the illness can include sever disease which require immediate
medical attention such as

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face
The WHO has issued and published advice for high-risk groups (older
people and people with serious chronic illness) and community support. This
is to ensure that these high-risk populations are protected from COVID-19
without being isolated, stigmatized, left in positions of increased
vulnerability or unable to have access to basic provisions and social care.

Apart from provoking massive health uproar, this pandemic also seems to have
created an economic, mental, and social effect on the masses.
The economy of a country and an individual suffer severe damage in situations
like these.
• According to the UNICEF, over 1.5 million schools were closed due to
COVID-19 across India that directly impacted the students and teachers.
• The World Bank estimates that the sudden closure of schools to control
the pandemic could cost India nearly USD 400 billion, which is an
enormous economic loss.
• A reduction in the supply chain creates a scarcity of food, resources, and
personal protective equipment. It leads to a financial strain on society and
an imbalance of the economy. It created unrest and general state of
helplessness.
• Being locked up at their homes have reduced interaction, it has increased
loneliness; all the steps taken by government such as shutting down of
educational institutions, quarantine, social distancing measures, self-
isolation have badly impacted people’s psychology.
• A weak immune system or having closed ones susceptible to diseases
intensifies stress, anxiety, and frustration among the people, as it reaches
a life-threatening level.
During the pandemic, social media had been used to both mitigate and
unfortunately propagate harm. Infodemic is used to describe an overabundance
of information both online and offline. It includes deliberate attempts to
disseminate wrong information to undermine the public health response and
advance alternative agendas of groups or individuals.
Mis- and disinformation have proved to be harmful to people’s physical and
mental health as it has increase stigmatization; threaten precious health gains;
and lead to poor observance of public health measures, thus reducing their
effectiveness and endangering countries’ ability to stop the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of college students as
there is an increase in 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.
This situation has worsened the condition of students with existing mental
illness and have risked some students’ life as they have got indulged in suicide
and substance use.

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.

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.
Unlike the school students, challenges in internship or research, worries about
the future, disrupted job market, and financial crisis uniquely affect the college
students.
1.2 Background

The novel coronavirus disease caused by SARS- CoV-2 came into light on
December 31,2019. The first case was reported in Wuhan City Hubei
province of China and from then the outbreak quickly spread around the world
affecting more than 2 million people.

In India, Kerala marked the first case of Coronavirus in January 2020 with a
patient, who had a travel history from Wuhan. Around 220 countries had been
affected by Coronavirus till date. The disease was declared a pandemic by a
World Health Organization (WHO).

To control the spread of the highly contagious disease and to ensure the civilian
safety many countries had lockdown and only stores of necessary and basic
amenities such as supermarkets and pharmacies were allowed to function. Due
to which large-scale loss of life, increase in illness and major socioeconomic
disruption; severe disruption in education at all levels and consequently, the
lives of the students of all ages.

1.3 Objective

The aim of study is to understand the effects of Covid-19 on college student’s

mental health, how students were able to cope up with their situation, what all

things they did during pandemic to divert their mind from the pandemic.
1.4 Hypothesis

a. There is no impact of Covid-19 on mental health of college students.

The lives of people improved as they started spending their most of the time
with people, worked on themselves by improving skills, became more
creative and made the best use of technology, people were indulged in
various activities and the pandemic didn’t bother

b. Ha: There is an impact of Covid-19 on mental health of college students.

The lives of many were affected as they were locked down at home not able
to meet their friends, study was shifted online mode where students faced
difficulty in concentrating.
 CHAPTER-2

Literature Review

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Mental Health of the college students
described by different studies.

As per the JMIRx Med Publications- there is a very high fear of Covid-19
among students, along with anxiety and depression symptoms. They conducted
cross-sectional web-based study using Google Forms questionnaire. A total of
324 college students participated in the study, of whom 180 were male and 144
were female. Through study they concluded that 223 had high fear of getting
infected by Covid-19, 93 had moderate to severe depression and 167 had mild
to severe anxiety, those having a family member infected with the disease was
significantly associated with anxiety and depression.

According to India Today: - 74% of Indian students suffer from high to severe
stress. The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown haven’t been kind to our student
population. They are amongst the worst hit emotionally -- 58% of Indian
college students experienced a significant increase in their stress levels and
severe deterioration in their emotions of anger, anxiety, loneliness,
hopelessness, and happiness.

Top 3 causes of mental health issues faced by students

1.Relationship Issues-The pandemic has tested many young relationships.

Partners were unexpectedly separated from each other.
2.Low confidence and self-esteem-Many were left anxious and worried about
the impact the pandemic would have on their career prospects and
placements.

3.Loss of work-life balance-Many students found themselves either not

focusing enough on their academic work or focusing so much that it seemed
to consume other aspects of their lives.

According to IJCMPH -Total 53.1%, 37.2% and 24.3% had symptoms of

depression, anxiety and stress respectively, with varying severities (N=727).
Significant associations of the negative emotional states with decreased time
spent with their family and friends and its effects; increased incidence of
domestic violence; increased sleep duration; disturbed sleep; financial crisis,
etc. were found.
 Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHADOLOGY

4.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

• To study how many students are affected.

• To study about how students spending their time during pandemic
• Finding a way to overcome issue.

4.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design indicates the type of research methodology undertaken

to collect the information of study.

4.3 TYPES OF RESEARCH

The project is mainly concerned with gathering information about the
“Impact of covid-19 on mental health of college students”
Frauds. The study is explanatory in nature. The information is present on
internet, newspapers, journals and books.

4.4 TYPES OF DATA

We have used secondary source of data for this project.

4.5 DATA COLLECTION METHODS

The secondary data for this project report has been taken from various
research papers and reports.
• Data collection
includes
• Research papers
• Reports
• Statistical sites
 CHAPTER-4

Analysis and Interpretation

Statistically, young people run little risk of getting seriously risk of getting
seriously sick with COVID-19. Yet the pandemic continues to hit college
students hard, with depression, anxiety and suicide rates on the rise.

According to a new BestColleges.com survey, 95% of college students have

experienced negative mental health symptoms as a result of COVID-19 related
circumstances. Almost half (48%) believe the mental health effects have
directly affected their education. The survey asked students whether they had
experienced increased anxiety or depression, sadness or depression, sadness or
disappointment, higher stress levels, other indicators of mental struggles as a
result of the pandemic.

Methods: -The survey was conducted by BestColleges.com from February 24 to

March 3 of 2021. Student respondents were fielded by Lucid LLC. Survey
participants included 702 college students nationwide that experienced remote
learning over the past year. Respondents were 18-25 years of age, enrolled at a
college or university, and pursuing an associate or bachelor's degree. The
respondents for the survey were screened by various quality checks, including
systems like Relevant ID, and responses were manually reviewed to ensure
consistency and accuracy.

Result:- Nearly half (46%) of respondents reported feeling more isolated and
lonelier. Additionally, 40% slept less, 39% worked out less and ate worse, and
close to one-third (32%) experienced feelings of hopelessness.
An earlier BestColleges.com survey found that remote learning poses a threat to
college students mental health. Students are struggling online and mourns the
loss of in-person contact with peers and professors, they found that school
changes are one of the emerging mental health puzzles.

College students struggle socially during Covid-19

Many students said that their lives outside of school had been impacted by the
pandemic. Some faced problem as they were spending more time in front of
screens and most of them were locked down in their homes which made them
irritated. Many students rely heavily on friends for emotional and academic
support. The survey found that students were even more likely to consider
friends part of their support system than they were parents or guardians. When
friends are hard to come by, those support networks falter and when they were
not able to get support, they experienced social isolation or loneliness.
More than half (54%) of college students believe COVID-19 circumstances
have impacted their mental health, while just 16% disagree. Although the
pandemic's mental health fallout boasts wide reach, not all students have felt its
effects to the same degree.
First-year students are more likely than upper-level students to report COVID-
19-related mental health issues, particularly when it comes to motivation and
positive personal habits. Female students are much more likely than male
students (60% vs. 45%) to report mental health effects brought about by
pandemic-related circumstances.
Over a quarter (27%) of male students expect that the mental health effects
spurred on by COVID-19 circumstances will not extend into the long term,
whereas nearly half (48%) of female students believe they will.

Covid-19’s Impact on Mental Health hurts academics

The pandemic has altered much more than how they take classes. Just 3% of
respondents said Covid-19 has not impacted their lives outside of school. All
this stress impacts the academic outcomes.
Nearly half of students believe mental health effects from circumstances related
to Covid-19 have directly affected their education. According to a recent
BestColleges.com study, 46% of college students are struggling with burnout, i.e.,
feelings of extreme fatigue and apathy that lead to a decline in academic performance.
Few students were worried about their GPA. Some students said that it was
challenging to attend online class on time, some struggled to complete
homework. The pandemic has made it difficult to be college student-to engage
with courses and interact with fellow students and faculty, the circumstances
have hindered their ability to participate in class and meet new people.

Students Lament the loss of Campus Activities

College students feel like they're missing out on campus life and its usual roster
of social activities. The top experience students had been looking forward to
was the opportunity to meet new friends on campus, they were not able to
participate in sports events, fests etc.
Difficulty with Concentration
Students indicated difficulty in concentrating on academic work due to various
sources of distraction, some mentioned that their home is a distractive
environment and a more suitable place to relax rather than to study. They were
more prone to be interrupted by their family members and household chores at
home. Other factors affecting students’ concentration were lack of
accountability and social media, internet

Even lacking Basic need, college students do self-care

Many students faced new hardships during the ongoing crisis as some
experienced the death of a family member or friend, some financial difficulties
and decrease in household income, some dealt with food insecurity.
Positive impact is also their students were able to spend more time with their
family, they were able to dedicate more time to themselves by engaging in some
of self-care.

Students’ top three self-care activities were spending time on hobbies such as
reading and crafting, engaging in physical exercises, some discovered new
hobby during the pandemic, and indulged in improving a particular skill. In
addition, more students craved for social activism.
Students who experienced social isolation or loneliness in the last year were
especially likely to feel they were missing out on the college experience. Of
those students, 85% said pandemic-related circumstances have made it hard for
them to meet new people, make friends.
 CHAPTER-5

Conclusion

While the full impact COVID-19 on college students' mental health, relief from
social isolation and screen time may soon become a reality, as more colleges
announce plans to return to normal operations this fall. Between the increased
accessibility of COVID-19 tests and the ongoing rollout of COVID-19
vaccines, the majority (54%) of students feel hopeful about the future.
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.
Following strategies could be considered by the students

1.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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. College students would benefit from weekly recreational or stress
management classes that enhance their coping and psychological
resilience.
4. Innovative approaches such as peer support model or saathi (companion)
club and formation of student wellbeing committees, implemented by
some colleges, can be adopted.
5. Counselling 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.
6. Faculty members should be trained on lay counselling, identifying
common mental health problems, providing psychological first-aid, and
referring appropriate cases to specialist mental health services.
7. 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.
 CHAPTER-6

Bibliography

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02537176211005622
https://www.activeminds.org/studentsurvey/
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https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-
has-spread/
https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/512707
https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e21279/
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0239696
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590061720300569
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.584240/full
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/impact-of-
lockdown-on-mental-health-of-students-1840790-2021-08-14
https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/college-mental-health-impacts-
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