Technical Report

Writing
TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, PILANI

 A REPORT
On

THE EFFECTS OF LOCKDOWN ON COLLEGE STUDENTS

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
Submitted to

Dr. Chintalapalli Vijayakumar

(Department of Humanities and Social Sciences)

Prepared by

Aradhya Atolia 2020A1PS1482P

Mayank Parnandiwar 2020A1PS1315P

Sumedha Sharma 2020A1PS1695P

Yash Tyagi 2020A1PS1693P

Shauryaraj Jilkar (Absent) N.A

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Souvik Bhattachariya, the Vice-
Chancellor of BITS Pilani, and Dr. Ashok Kumar Sarkar, the director of BITS Pilani for
providing us the opportunity and platform to design this report on ‘EFFECTS OF
LOCKDOWN ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our Instructor in-charge, Dr. Pushp Lata
and most importantly our instructor Dr. Chintalapalli Vijayakumar. He provided us with
regular support, inspiration and motivation for completing the assignment during these
troubling times.
The completion of this assignment would not have been possible without our batchmates who
willingly participated in the survey.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract

2. List of Illustrations

3. Introduction

3.1Physical impacts

3.2Psychological impacts

3.3Social Impacts

4. Purpose

5. Scopes and limitations

6. Methods and sources of data collection

7. Methodology adopted for the study

8. Significance of study

9. Division of the report

10.Discussions and Interpretation of Data

11.Recommendations

12.Appendix

13.References
 ABSTRACT

The COVID 19 pandemic is indeed harsh for everyone. Many steps were taken to contain the
spread of this virus. These steps were necessary and needed to be taken at the right time. So, a
nation-wide lockdown was put in place to ensure the safety of citizens.
This report mainly deals with the effect of lockdown that was faced by college
students of the country. Whether there were positive or negative effects every aspect is shown
in the report. It mainly focuses on social, economic, health, psychological effects of the
lockdown on college students. This study would provide a clear-cut view about what students
think about this hindrance produced by lockdown on their life. Also, this report will be a great
tool in understanding what changes need to be done on future to cope with the scenario. We
also have made a certain hypothesis and matched them with the data provided to drive a certain
conclusion at last. Depending upon this data we have made some broader claims that we found
true in our exhaustive research and were in accordance with the majority of students.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Fig1.1.1: Hours of sleep – depicting their net sleep duration

2. Fig1.1.2: Change in sleep cycle
3. Fig1.2: Frequency of Exercising – depicting were they physically active
4. Fig1.3: Effects on Health – symptoms experienced due to online classes
5. Fig1.4: Psycho-social symptoms -
6. Fig1.5: Change in productivity
 INTRODUCTION

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS CoV-2 has
reached pandemic status worldwide. In the absence of a preventive vaccine and specific drug
treatments, public health measures are essential to contain the spread of the virus. Successful
strategies have already been identified; beyond strict hygienic rules these measures include
isolation, social distancing, and quarantine. A rapid Cochrane systematic review, based
primarily on simulation studies, indicates that quarantine, especially if combined with other
measures, such as school closures, travel restrictions and social distancing might reduce the
number of COVID-19 infections and deaths.
According to a BBC News report, dated 7 April 2020 around 100 countries worldwide have
implemented full or partial lockdown measures as of late March, affecting billions of citizens.
Severity of measures differ, but they all aim at limiting social mingling, which necessarily
implies opportunities to move around.

PHYSICAL IMPACT
1.Metabolic and vascular effect of reduced physical activity:
Current physical activity recommendations advise the general population to aim at performing
at least 120–200 min of moderate or 60–120 min of rigorous physical activity a week (or both),
and muscle strengthening activities at least thrice a week.
Taken together, even acute, short periods of reduced physical activity may have adverse effects
on organs and systems, and these effects might be more pronounced and more challenging to
reverse in certain more weaker populations, such as the chronically ill and senior citizens.

2.Impact on wellbeing, mood, sleep pattern:

Because of the well documented acute impact of physical activity on symptoms of
psychological problems and potential to increase positive affect physical activity should be
recommended as a regular measure.

Importantly, even low to moderate volume and low to moderate intensity exercise seems to be
beneficial. Indeed as little as 10 min moderate intensity walking can improve mood. Mental
health took a toll due to the lack of the physical exercise.
Single short (10–20 min) physical activity bouts lead to improved cognition, with most
consistent results for domains of executive function.

3. Effect on immune system:

It is a well-known fact that physical activity boost immunity and during the time of a
pandemic it is imperative that we must be in the best of our health. This statement is more
important for the students of Class 12 around the country.
With so many competitive exams coming fast it was necessary to be healthy throughout.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT

The psychological impact that this pandemic has had on college students has indubitably been
the most significant. Despite being largely varied based on factors like economic status,
existing mental conditions, educational status and medical access, over all the mental effects
of the lockdown on students has been a negative one. The constant uncertainty has greatly
increased anxiety level in college student populations.

Essential years of college that mould students’ lives have been lost in an environment of stress
and uncertainty. An alarming study also showed that suicidal thoughts significantly increased
amongst the young population of our country.

➢ A GAP CREATED:
Starting from March 2020, when colleges started transitioning into an online platform, there
was an obvious gap created since some students lacked access to internet and electronics. This
created a fear of missing out and a loss in academics for the economically weaker sections of
students, leading to frustration and a feeling of helplessness
➢ LOCKDOWN LONELINESS:
Furthermore, the prolonged stay at home away from the company of friends and acquaintances
lead to a phenomenon of ‘Lockdown Loneliness’. Since loneliness is closely interlinked with
mental health, the potential of college going students suffering from serious psychological
conditions has increase.
➢ THE HOUSEHOLD MATTERS:
Domestic strife has scarring impacts on young adults and children. In some cases, where
domestic violence, abuse and verbal fights are common, students have been tortured
emotionally, mentally and academically
➢ AN UNAVOIDABLE FEAR:
Students lived in stress through the entire duration of the lockdown fearing that they or their
loved ones might contract the coronavirus.
➢ THE BRIGHTER SIDE:
Certain studies showed that some students mentally benefitted from the lockdown. They felt
appreciably relaxed, away from their otherwise hectic college schedules.
 SOCIAL IMPACT

The outbreak of COVID-19 affected the lives of all sections of society as people were asked to
self-quarantine in their homes to prevent the spread of the virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has
forced people at universities to take drastic measures that affect how citizens and students
interact and socialize with each other. In many countries around the world, individuals are
required to reduce physical contact to others outside one’s household (social distancing). While
social distancing measures may successfully slow down the spread of the infection and relieve
the public health systems, they may eventually increase the social isolation of students.
The social networks of students have been argued to be an important factor in buffering stress
and helping them to be more effective. Reduced social interactions, a lack of social support,
and newly arising stressors associated with the COVID-19 crisis could potentially affect
students’ mental health negatively. The social relationships of individuals are likely to be
affected by the crisis in different ways. In times of crisis, social support may be more important
than ever. But at the same time, physical proximity and opportunities for interaction are
important in developing and fostering social ties. As face-to-face interactions and random
encounters are minimized due to the social distancing measures, it is likely that individuals
focus on those relationships that are spatially close, most meaningful, or most established.
There is certain hypothesis that we would make beforehand and verify them further using
proper data.
1. Social media bubble/not a reliable way to get over less social interaction - Social media
apps are still there to socialize and help them survive in this problem of less social
interaction. If they still feel the same social gap it means they were already living in a
bubble of social media that it can help you to socialize and talk to others.

2. Online teaching is more effective than offline – In offline as you get more time to study
so you can be more productive than in offline mode.
 PURPOSE

Students' lives and the environment of school and colleges have changed due to the pandemic,
COVID 19 has impacted things that we always took for granted. Something as simple as
meeting friends and being able to take a walk downstairs has been affected. We have tried to
highlight students' hardships in all types of fields through the above report, be it physical,
psychological, social, or economical. The trauma of being a student stuck in a pandemic has
been highlighted.
The report designed presents the ruthless reality of the impact the Coronavirus pandemic has
created in all spheres of life. The pandemic has proven to be a test of adjustment to
unimaginable situations. Even after almost a year into the pandemic, it hard to believe what the
entire world has been through- loss of lives, financial crises, unemployment, suicides, massive
wildfires, et cetera.
This report, however, focusses and talks mainly about how the lockdown due the pandemic has
affected college students.
Also, some recommendations to handle such a situation if it arises again has been provided.

SCOPE

Difficulties faced by adolescents and young adults are often ignored. Our report is aimed to
bring more attention towards these problems. This would hopefully throw light on important
physical and mental issues faced by students so that they could be rightfully addressed. At a
time when deterioration of mental, physical and social health has become a new normal, it is
imperative that they be brought out in the open, be spoken about and be resolved. Social
distancing and isolation have changed dynamics of friendships between students, which
indirectly also affects mental health. It often creates feelings of sadness and loneliness among
young populations. Moreover, college students faced massive difficulties in getting internships
and jobs increasing financial strain.

The report presented is indictive of the fact that throughout the country the pandemic has had
an overall negative effect on college student lives- both personally and professionally.
The report has been designed in the hope that these issues be resolved after bringing it into the
attention of concerned authorities.
 LIMITATIONS OF THE REPORT

• Our method of data collection was through an online survey presents a major limitation.
Although the data collection is made as authentic as possible, some discrepancies may be
present. Some students who took the survey may not have filled it truthfully.
• The students who took the survey were majorly from the Birla Institute of Technology
and Science, Pilani. The demographic is not as varied as one would want.

METHODS AND SOURCES OF DATA

COLLLECTION

To get a clear view of the situation going on right with the students and interpret a conclusion
we require great amount of data from the students as well as from some online resources.
So, to collect the data from the students we formed a questionnaire covering all the aspects in
the student life social, economic, psychological, health, including relevant option that at what
level they got affected and what problem they do face. This questionnaire was made strictly
keeping on thing in mind that the net data obtained should be conclusive and we can interpret
information form it, and then the questionnaire in form of g form was rotated among the student
and they were prompted to fill the exact information.
Another place where we looked at were the online articles so to get a better understanding of
the topic and produce claims, check the hypothesis and provide a conclusive report at the end.
These included the articles on mental health, social fatigue and phycological well being written
by many prolific writers researching on this particular topic at a broader aspect.

METHODOLGY ADOPTED FOR STUDY

After the data collection the next important step is to interpret the data in such a manner to
get a valid output
For this purpose, a stratified sampling process was collected, the population was first divided
into subgroups (or strata) who all share a similar characteristic or in which college year they
are based on that the net student population into different groups was divided and then were
studied separately.
In this way the work was reduced greatly and a clearer picture of our student population was
obtained which is extremely necessary to provide some conclusive results at the end.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

From the survey being conducted, it was being perused that maximum students faced negative
impact on education including depression, disturbance of sleeping cycle, lack of quality in
lectures and many more factors. Where Covid-19 affected government, economy, human body,
its dynamic effect on the education system could not be neglected.
The present report on ‘Effect of Lockdown on College Students’ focuses on how the education
system got affected from Covid-19. Many students faced stress and depression thinking of
future plans and jobs securities. The learning status of students got worsened during the period
of lockdown. Through this report, actual realities and problems came into the limelight with
the dire need to take positive actions. With no quality focus on academics, mental health and
issues were also being noticed amongst the students. To assess and analyze the impact of
lockdown on college students, this report is being presented.
Where the major focus of effect of Covid-19 was on the global economy, health issues,
environment, it was also necessary to divert minds on the education system. The current student
population will be the future of our nation, how the education system needs to be re-looked
during the period of lockdown is essential. Coping techniques and strategies of college students
should be recommended where efficacious actions to improve the learning process as well as
mental health can be taken into account.
Through the present report being studied, proper actions can be taken for the college students.
Step-wise structure of online education can be made with proper focus on mental problems and
quality of education being provided.

DIVISION OF THE REPORT

The report has been divided into four chapters. The first chapter provides the introduction to
the report (cover page, acknowledgements, table of contents etc.)
 The second chapter is the backbone of the report. It talks about the data collection. The scope
and limitations of the study were also discussed. And the methodology of data collection and
the techniques used to analyse the data have been explained.
Chapter 1 and 2 have already been mentioned above.
Chapter 3 talks about data analysis and the data that was collected during the survey was
analysed through various pie charts and tables, which is provided in the upcoming pages.
The final chapter concludes the report and recommends what can be done to tackle the
problems faced during the lockdown

DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION

The questionnaire (attached in the appendix) that was designed, touched on several topics
pertaining to physical, social and mental well-being of college students during the lockdown. An
overwhelming response of 80 was received. The majority of these responses came from first-
year students studying at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.

1. PHYSICAL FACTORS

1.1 SLEEP DURATION AND CYCLE

1.1.1 Duration
Sleep is extremely essential for maintaining overall good health of a person. Optimally,
adolescents and young adults require 7 or more hours of sleep every night. More often than not,
people tend to forget this. Sleep deprivation seems to be the new normal these recent years.
Surprisingly, out of the data we collected, it was found that 57.5% of the students who
took the poll slept for approximately 6-9 hours every day. 5% of the students slept for less than
4 hours and 15% seem to have slept for more than 9 hours each day.
 Hours of sleep

15% 5%
22%
less than 4 hours
4-6 hours
6-9 hours
58%
more than 9 hours

Fig1.1.1: A pie chart depicting hours of sleep students got every night on an average

1.1.2 Sleep cycle

Ideally, it is recommended by experts researching on sleep cycle that one must go to bed
earlier and wake up early.
Asking students about their sleep cycle, the response that was received presents a scenario that
is far from ideal.
A massive 69.23% students started sleeping late at night. This response could point
towards a huge possibility of insomnia in adolescents. 8.97% stated that they started waking up
early in the morning while 21.79% did not experience any change.

Options % Count

Started sleeping late at 69.3 54

night.

Started waking up early 8.97 7

in the morning

No change 21.79 17
 Changes in sleep cycle

22%

9% Started sleeping late

Started waking up early
69%
No change

Fig1.1.2: A pie chart depicting sleep cycle variation trends in the lockdown

1.2 EXERCISE
Exercise is defined as intense physical activity of the body that lasts more than 15 minutes.
Regular physical activity helps young adults improve cardio-muscular strength and lead healthier
lives. The digital era has brought with it increasing cases of obesity in adolescents, thus indicating
a lethargic lifestyle. Added to that, was the lockdown.

It was not surprising when the data collected showed a similar scenario. A majority of
26.5% college-goers did not perform any exercise during the lockdown while 17.5% did some
sort of physical activity daily.

Options % Count
Daily 17.5 14
Once a week 10.0 8
Twice a week 15.0 12
Thrice a week 8.75 7
Four times a week 6.25 5
Once a month 16.25 13
Never 26.25 21
 Frequency of Exercising
Daily
Once a week
18%
26% Twice a week
10% Thrice a week
Four times a week
16% 15%
Once a month
6% 9%
Never

Fig1.2 A pie chart displaying trends of physical activity in college going students
during the lockdown period.

1.3 SYMPTOMS RELATED TO RESTRICTED MOVEMENT AND

SCREEN VIEWING
The transition of academic studies from an offline mode to an online one due to the
ongoing pandemic has had its own effects on students. Studies show that while students have had
the comfort of attending classes from their homes, there has been larger dropout rates and more
health issues.

The illustrations below give us an idea about what physical symptoms students have
suffered

Options % Count
Headache 19.67 36
Backache 18.58 34
Watering/Reddening of 22.95 42
eyes
Muscle Fatigue 18.58 34
Stiffness in limbs 12.57 23
Other 7.65 14
 Symptoms experienced
Headache

8% 20%
Backache
12%
Watering/Reddening of
eyes
19% 18%
Muscle Fatigue

23% Stiffness in limbs

Fig1.3: A pie chart depicting symptoms experienced by college students due to online
classes

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
2.1 CONDITIONS
As mentioned earlier, the lockdown has had an unpleasant mental impact on students.
The charts below display the similar plight. Students that took the survey expressed that they
experienced loneliness, demotivation, anxiety among other conditions.

Options % Count

Insomnia 10.34 21
Extreme Loneliness 15.27 31
Feeling of depression 15.27 31
Demotivation 28.57 58
Anxiety 22.66 46
Other 7.88 16
 Psycho-social symptoms
Insomnia

Extreme Loneliness
8% 10% Feeling of depression

23% 15% Demotivation

Anxiety
15%
Other
29%

Fig2: A chart showing mental conditions that students may have suffered from during
the lockdown

2.2 PRODUCTIVITY
An overwhelming 72.5% students said that their productivity was negatively affected
during the lockdown compared to 15% who were affected positively by the lockdown.
12.5% of those who took the survey had no effect on their productivity from the
lockdown.

Changes in productivity

60

50

40

30 58

20

10 12 10
0
Positive change Negative change No change

Count

Fig2.2.1: A bar graph depicting productivity changes during the pandemic

 Academically, the survey presented a trend that is displayed in the illustrations below.
(question asked: were you able to focus on your academics during the lockdown?)

Options % Count

Yes 35.0 28

No 65.0 52

3. SOCIAL FACTORS
When asked about relationships with their closest friends, the data procured seemed to be equally
spread out.
(question asked: has your relationship with your closest friends change during the lockdown)

Options % Count

Friends grew closer 32.4 26

Friends grew farther apart 36.25 20

No change 31.25 25

The chart shows that personal relationships with friends didn’t seem to have an adverse effect.
Studies also have showed that spending more time at home has made students closer to their
siblings, parents and other relatives.
In their leisure time, 18.91% adolescents spent quality time with family which could be an
indication of increased closeness to relatives.
Here is a table showing how most college students spent their leisure time in the pandemic
lockdown-
 Options % Count

Listen to music 22.69 54

Binge watch TV shows and 21.85 52

movies
Read books 11.76 28

Spend time with family 18.91 45

Social media 20.59 49

Other 4.20 10

CONCLUSION

➢ Majority of college students have suffered from demotivation with anxiety, insomnia,
loneliness adding to it.
➢ Only around 70 percent of the students had been getting more than 6 hours of sleep.
➢ Sleeping pattern changed with a greater number of students going to bed late night.
➢ Even after getting surplus time, 25 percent of students did not indulge in any kind of
physical activity. Only 18 percent students gave to physical exercise daily, the rest
being irregular.
➢ Apart from the mental problems, many students had to face physical discomforts like
headache, backache, muscle fatigue etc.
➢ Productivity of students saw a decline.
➢ Some students also had difficulty in getting their academic doubts cleared through
the online platform.
➢ 33 percent students were of the view that their friendship with closest friends had
grew, 33 percent commented weaking of friendship while the rest had no change.
➢ In the hard times during the lockdown, music, social media, book reading, web series
and spending time with family acted as stress busters to the students.

➢ In conclusion, the unprecedented pandemic has led to inexorable circumstances

beyond normal experience.
the conclusion of above made hypothesis
1. Social media bubble we thought that it’s a great way to socialize but at last in the
presence of it many students are still in huge amount of depression proved from the
data above this proves our hypothesis
2. Online teaching is very less effective than offline teaching as a result produced from
our data hence this disapproves our hypothesis.

RESOURCES

• Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC, Thisted RA. Perceived social isolation makes me sad: 5-year
cross-lagged analyses of loneliness and depressive symptomatology in the Chicago Health,
Aging, and Social Relations Study. Psychology and aging. 2010;25(2):453–463. doi:
10.1037/a0017216. pmid:20545429
• Hefner J, Eisenberg D. Social support and mental health among college students. American
Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 2009;79(4):491–499. pmid:20099940
• Luhmann M, Bohn J, Holtmann J, Koch T, Eid M. I’m lonely, can’t you tell? Convergent
validity of self-and informant ratings of loneliness. Journal of Research in Personality.
2016;61:50–60
• [Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized
anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006;166(10):1092–1097.
pmid:16717171
• Kawachi I, Berkman LF. Social ties and mental health. Journal of Urban Health.
2001;78(3):458–467. doi: 10.1093/jurban/78.3.458. pmid:11564849
• Nussbaumer-Streit B, Mayr V, Dobrescu AI, Chapman A, Persad E, Klerings I, et al.
Quarantine alone or in combination with other public health measures to control COVID-
19: a rapid review. Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2020;4:CD013574. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013574.

• Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, Woodland L, Wessely S, Greenberg N, Rubin GJ. The
psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence.
Lancet. 2020;395:912–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8.

• Bowden Davies KA, Pickles S, Sprung VS, Kemp GJ, Alam U, Moore DR, et al. Reduced
physical activity in young and older adults: metabolic and musculoskeletal implications.
Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab.
2019;10:2042018819888824. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042018819888824.
 APPENDIX
This is the link to the questionnaire that was circulated among college students:-

https://surveyheart.com/form/60048e9de65ba951c30bbc77

RECOMMENDATIONS
On the basis of the data received from the survey, the following points can be recommended as-

1. Students dealt with demotivation, insomnia and a feeling of helplessness.

The report recommends that ‘Counselling Facilities’ would aid and assist in solving the de-
motivational problems of students. Faculties can conduct person to person counselling that could
motivate and give them a sense of control.

2. The sleeping cycle got disturbed that in turn affected the morning classes of many students. The
increase in the bed-time hour of college students might be due to the psychological stress of
studies.

Hence, in furtherance to this, it can be recommended that ‘Stress Control Education’ could be
taken into account. Providing education on stress control to every student can be a positive factor
on improving the sleep cycle.

3. From the survey, it was being noticed that physical activities beyond 15 minutes amongst students
was lacking in their daily routine. Students due to the online conduct of classes spent time sitting
more, and missing the physical activities.

Hence, in furtherance to this, it can be recommended that ‘Changing the Structure of Classes’ can
be done in a way that focuses on quality education instead of quantity education. Universities and
colleges can mold their routine of classes. A separate focus can be provided on Physical education
as a part of their education facility.
4. Moreover, from the survey, it was being noticed that most of the students experienced
watering/reddening of their eyes during the period of online education. With most of students
spending time on electronics including laptops and mobile phones, eye strain has been maximized.

Hence, in furtherance to this, it can be recommended that the ‘Time duration and Structure’ of
online lectures/classes should not be more than 30 minutes at a time. This would include resting of
eyes. This method would reduce the damage caused to the eyes.

5. It was also being noticed that focus on academics by the students was in a negative way. Due to the
online lectures, many students were unable to focus and attend the lectures with full concentration.
The impact on the learning status during lockdown got worsened.

Hence, in furtherance to this, it can be recommended that ‘Interactive Sessions/Classes’ can be

taken up by the faculties to make it more interesting. In this sense, students can pay more attention
on the lectures and can participate positively. Moreover, the level of productivity in online
teaching sessions can also be improved.

6. From the survey, it was being noticed that many students felt that they grew farther apart during
the online semester. Online methodology snatched away the interest and the quality of education
system.

Hence, in furtherance to this, it can be recommended that ‘Systematic Re-opening of Universities

and Colleges with Proper Guidelines’ can be taken into account. In this manner, the students can
be motivated and encouraged to visit the campus in smaller groups while attaining the quality
education.
 Assignment Declaration
Semester I, 2020-2021

This is to certify that, we, the following undersigned (Name and BITS ID Number) have
worked uniformly on the report attached herewith. Also, we assure that the report is original,
with proper citations wherever required, and the entire group is responsible for any kind of
plagiarism whatsoever.

Section Number: ___L4___ Instructor's Name: _ Chintalapalli Vijayakumar

Group Number: _A_____ Total Number of Members: ______5______________

Name BITS ID Number Signature

1. Aradhya Atolia 2020A1PS1482P

2. Mayank Parnandiwar 2020A1PS1315P

3. Sumedha Sharma 2020A1PS1695P

4. Yash Tyagi 2020A1PS1693P

5. Shouryaraj jilkar N.A.