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Psychological impact of COVID-19 and lock down measures: An online cross-sectional multicounty study on Asian university students

Author

Listed:
  • Karuthan Chinna
  • Sheela Sundarasen
  • Heba Bakr Khoshaim
  • Kamilah Kamaludin
  • Mohammad Nurunnabi
  • Gul Mohammad Baloch
  • Syed Far Abid Hossain
  • Areej Sukayt
  • Nevi Dalina
  • Usha Rajagopalan
  • Ramesh Kumar
  • Zahid Memon

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures have taken a toll on every level of the society, worldwide. This study examines their psychological impact on university students in Asia. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between April and May 2020 in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, India and Indonesia. The Zung’s self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and questions on adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies were used in this study. A total of 3,679 students from the seven countries participated in this study. Overall, 21.9% and 13.7% of the students in this study experienced mild to moderate and severe to extreme levels of anxiety. More than 20% of the students from China and Bangladesh reported severe to extreme level of anxiety compared to below 10% of the students from Indonesia, Malaysia and India. Among the female students, 15.9% experienced severe to extreme level of anxiety compared to 10.6% among the males. Females from Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia experienced significantly higher levels of anxiety compared to their male counterparts. Acceptance was the most used and Seeking Social Support was the least used coping strategies among the students. There were significant differences in the usage of the four strategies by countries. Stressors are predominantly financial constraints, remote online learning, and uncertainty related to their academic performance, and future career prospects.

Suggested Citation

  • Karuthan Chinna & Sheela Sundarasen & Heba Bakr Khoshaim & Kamilah Kamaludin & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Gul Mohammad Baloch & Syed Far Abid Hossain & Areej Sukayt & Nevi Dalina & Usha Rajagopalan & Ramesh, 2021. "Psychological impact of COVID-19 and lock down measures: An online cross-sectional multicounty study on Asian university students," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(8), pages 1-12, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0253059
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253059
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    Cited by:

    1. Eiji Yamamura & Youki Kosaka & Yoshiro Tsutsui & Fumio Ohtake, 2022. "Gender differences of the effect of vaccination on perceptions of COVID-19 and mental health in Japan," Papers 2203.07663, arXiv.org.
    2. Maria Clelia Zurlo & Federica Vallone & Maria Francesca Cattaneo Della Volta, 2022. "Perceived Past and Current COVID-19-Stressors, Coping Strategies and Psychological Health among University Students: A Mediated-Moderated Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Seema Mihrshahi & Putu Novi Arfirsta Dharmayani & Janaki Amin & Alexandra Bhatti & Josephine Y. Chau & Rimante Ronto & Diana Turnip & Melanie Taylor, 2022. "Higher Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Psychological Distress among International University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Australian Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-14, October.
    4. Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi & Naveed Ahmad & Muhammad Salman & Nida Tanveer & Shahid Shah & Muhammad Hammad Butt & Ahmed D. Alatawi & Nasser Hadal Alotaibi & Hidayat Ur Rahman & Abdulaziz Ibrahim Alzarea &, 2022. "Estimation of Psychological Impairment and Coping Strategies during COVID-19 Pandemic among University Students in Saudi Arabia: A Large Regional Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-16, November.
    5. Mohannad Hawamdeh & Thamer A. Altaim & Amjad Shallan & Riziq Allah Gaowgzeh & Sakher M. Obaidat & Saad Alfawaz & Saad M. Al-Nassan & Ziyad Neamatallah & Owis Eilayyan & Umar M. Alabasi & Majed Albadi, 2022. "Low Back Pain Prevalence among Distance Learning Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-10, December.

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