West Visayas State University

HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS

Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

WVSU-HCC STUDENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH

IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

by

LOUISE ANN L. BERSAMIN

RONELIE T. DA-AL

CHARLINE L. MONTEVILLA

JAZEL MAY V. PONTE

Chapter 1

The Problem

This chapter contains nine parts: (1) Background of the Study; (2) Theoretical

Framework; (3) Conceptual Framework; (4) Paradigm of the Study; (5) Statement of the

Problem; (6) Hypothesis; (7) Definition of Terms; (8) Significance of the Study; and (9)

Scope and Delimitations of the Study.

Part One, Background of the Study, describes the origin of the study, the

conditions which pave the way for the conduct of the research and reason for

conducting the research.

Part Two, Theoretical Framework provide introduces and describes the theory

that explains why the research problem under study exists;

Part Three, Conceptual Framework shows the relationship of the constructs to be

studied.

1
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Part Four, Paradigm of the Study, summarize in the paradigm or schematic

diagram.

Part Five, Statement of the Problem presents the problem to be investigated and

state the problem considered in the investigation.

Part Six, Hypothesis, a tentative answer or educated guess to the question.

Part Seven, Definition of Terms, defines the important terms used conceptually

and operationally.

Part Eight, Significance of the study, cites the benefits that may derived from the

study.

Part Nine, Scope and Delimitation of the Study, cites the scope and coverage of

the investigation.

Background of the Study

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the pandemic of the novel

SARS-CoV2 infection or coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a communicable virus caused

by a new strain of coronavirus which began as an epidemic in Wuhan, China on

December 2019 and become major public health challenge worldwide until now. In

response to this, Philippine Governments with the assistance of Philippine Department of

Health (DOH) issued mandatory border lockdowns and health authorities imposed strict

health protocols and regulations to help prevent the spread of the virus. Citizens were

given instructions to stay at home and self-quarantine. Some businesses had to close

and travels had been allowed for very essential transactions only, and shutting down of

buildings including basic education, colleges and universities by the end of March 2020.

2
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

COVID-19 pandemic disrupted billions of students and millions of educators due

to shutting down the schools and other restrictions (Ozer, 2020), which avert them

continue learning in school, and universities, attend vocational training, and adult

learning programs, in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governments responded to the pressing need to provide school children with learning

possibilities via online and distance learning (Römer, 2020).

Although precautions have done to keep students safe during the pandemic, for

many, it’s ushered in a different set of dangers: anxiety, depression, and other mental

health conditions because of radical changes in everyday life due to the COVID-19

pandemic, where the learning process was negatively affected. Particularly to the

college students, who are vulnerable to the adverse mental and psychological health

consequences of the stay-at-home orders or lockdown measures, as they pose a

potential threat to their physical, mental, and emotional health as well as their

educational and developmental progress (Singh et al., 2020). Depression and anxiety

among students can seriously negatively impact their quality of life and academic

achievement (Bayram & Bilgel, 2008; Farrer, Gulliver, Bennett, Fassnacht, & Griffiths,

2016).

COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that can affect the mental

health of individuals. Public health emergencies can cause insecurity, confusion,

emotional isolation, financial loss and damage at the individual and community levels,

work and school closures, and inadequate distribution of medical resources (Pfefferbaum

& North, 2020).

3
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

The continuous cycle of student’s life amid COVID-19 pandemic may result in

experiencing different types of mental health problems which affect the thinking, mood,

and behavior towards life and education. With this in mind, we, the researcher, wishes

to study the mental health problem of 3rd Year students from West Visayas State

University Himamaylan City Campus (WVSU-HCC), and how this affects their everyday

living and academic performance amid pandemic.

Theoretical Framework

This research was anchored primarily in B.F. Skinner's Theory of Operant

Conditioning, Erik Erikson's theory on adolescents' psychosocial development, and K.T.

Strongman Theories of Anxiety.

The theory of B.F. Skinner is based upon the idea that learning is a function of

change in overt behavior. Changes in behavior are the result of an individual’s response

to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment and reinforcement. Reinforcement is

the key element in Skinner’s Stimulus-Response or S-R theory. A reinforcement is

anything that strengthens the desired response. It could be verbal praise, a good grade,

or a feeling of increased accomplishment or satisfaction. The theory also covers negative

reinforcements — any stimulus that results in the increased frequency of a response

when it is withdrawn (different from aversive stimuli — punishment — which result in

reduced responses).

The result of reinforcement, especially the negative reinforcement, might lead to

one of Erik Erikson's theories on adolescents' psychosocial development on the seventh

stage of development theorized the depression on adolescents. The approach suggested

4
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

that every adolescent went to the phase of an identity crisis. To which every adolescent

tried to find the answer to the question "Who am I?". The failure of answering the

question brings adverse effects to an adolescent's mental health and development, and

it makes one disvalue their self-worth and become unable to cope with daily life, which

could lead to Depression (Miller, 2017).

Another theory is Strongman's anxiety theories (As cited by Garcia, Santilla,

Molchanova, Salazar, 2017), where anxiety is a pain inflictor caused by unclear origins

and phobias. The theories on anxiety suggest that it has no exact limit to where or when

it will stop. There are five categories in theories of anxiety; these are psychoanalytic,

learning or behavioral, physiological, phenomenological, and uncertainty. This proves

that all the categories were very similar. However, anxiety cannot be understood

without people's influence, and its most common problem is that it mostly comes from

uncertainty. Moreover, anxiety was categorized in two ways: Everyday Anxiety and

Neurotic Anxiety. Everyday anxiety regarded anxiety as normal fear from actual events

while, Neurotic anxiety was suggested to come from more phobic and panic attack-

related origins (Strongman, 1995).

Through the preceding theories and studies, the present research identified

some of the possible dimensions affecting student’s mental health: (1) situation or event

that threatens and has the potential to destroy, (2) the feel of anxiety that combines

emotional elements and components of thought that will affect body reaction and, (3)

the transaction, a process of how one would face the situation. Thus, one’s progression

depends on the character and the surrounding environment that affects it. Also,

students can still be excellent in academics regardless of the current situation.

5
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Conceptual Framework

University students face many challenges in their effort to attain success, as they

have to fulfil various obligations and undergo many transformational processes prior to

the achievement. Such processes yield stressful situations that must be confronted by

the students, especially in this time, where COVID-19 pandemic occur and turns every

life and systems like education upside-down.

Mental health deals with our emotional reference or the realization of well-being,

and social refer to the effective functioning of a person in the community, and

psychological well-being refers to the effective individual functioning. This combination

encompasses a positive and negative dimension. The positive dimension indicates

psychological well-being, affected mainly by the elements of happiness, contentment,

quality of life, and even health as a whole. Contrary to the negative dimension indicates

inverse as "mental health problems" or "mental health distress" such as depression,

anxiety, and stress, which affect students' motivation, concentration, and social

interactions—crucial factors for students to succeed in higher education.

These dimensions result from factors such as the social, family, financial, and

psychological which pose a significant risk for mental health problems like depression,

anxiety, and stress in this time of the pandemic affecting students’ mental health,

everyday life, and academic performances.

6
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Paradigm of the Study

Factors affect Student’s Mental

Health
Mental Health Problems  Family (Parents, Siblings, and
 Anxiety Relatives)
 Depression  Financial
 Stress  Social (Social media, Friends,
Classmates, and Neighbors)
 Psychological (COVID-19
Pandemic, Quarantine, and
Education)

Figure 1. The paradigm shows the factors that affect and can cause specific

mental health problems to 3rd-year students' mental health at the WVSU-HCC amidst

the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to evaluate the mental health problem experienced by West Visayas

State University Himamaylan City Campus (WVSU-HCC) students and assess its relation

to their everyday living especially their academic performance amid the COVID-19

pandemic.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of anxiety, depression, and stress experienced by 3 rd year

students?

2. What is the level of the academic performance of 3 rd year students?

7
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

3. What are the factors mainly affecting students’ mental health amidst the COVID-

19 pandemic?

4. Is there a significant relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress on the

students' academic performance?

Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between the factors affecting student’s mental

health in the midst of COVID 19 pandemic.

Definition of Terms

For clarity and understanding of the textual presentation of this study, the

following terms were defined conceptually and operationally:

Anxiety. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anxiety as “an

emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like

increased blood pressure.” (Felman, 2020)

In this study, it refers to physical response to an emotional feeling like tension,

stress, worried thoughts, or fear from actual events or situations.

COVID-19. A disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. ‘CO’ stands for

corona, ‘VI’ for virus, and ‘D’ for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as ‘2019

novel coronavirus’ or ‘2019-nCoV.’ The COVID-19 virus is a new virus linked to the same

family of viruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and some types of

common cold. (UNICEF New York,2020)

8
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

In this study, COVID-19 is a pandemic caused every student to have mental

health issues because of the new normal imposed by the government.

Depression. Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious

medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.

(American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

In this study, it refers to an uncontrolled response to a loss or disappointment,

unresolved conflicts, unmet emotional needs, or chronic stressors. It is also

characterized by guilt, withdrawal, hopeless, and repressed anger.

Family. A social unit where one or more children are being cared for and or

brought up. (Netherland Cabinet,2018)

In this study it refers to the parents, siblings, and relatives.

Financial. Pertaining to monetary receipts and expenditures; pertaining or

relating to money matters. (Dictionary.com,LLC, 2021)

In this study, it refers to the one factor that affects the student’s mental health.

Experience. It refers to the individual consciousness regarding one’s thoughts

and feelings. It is used to refer to the past events, knowledge, and feelings that make

up someone's life or character. (Collins Dictionary)

In this study, it refers to the participants’ daily experiences, circumstances,

struggles, and challenges that occur in students’ lives amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental Health. Mental health refers to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-

being. It is all about how people think, feel, and behave. (Healthline Media 2021)

9
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

In this study, it deals with our emotional and psychological well-being, which

allows the us to balance our feelings, desires, ambitions, and ideas in our daily life. It

may also be understood as an individual’s personality traits and behavioral

characteristics.

Psychological. Psychological means mental or emotional rather than physical.

(Vocabulary.com, 2021) 

In this study psychological refers to the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine, and

education.

Social. relating to activities in which you meet and spend time with

other people and that happen during the time when you are not working. (Cambridge

University,2021)

In this study, social is refers to the social media, friends, classmates, and

neighbors.

Stress. Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical,

emotional, or psychological strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that

requires attention or action (Very Well Mind,2021)

In this study, it is a common reaction of a person's physical and mental aspect

towards any change that requires an adjustment or response to perceived threats in a

person's life.

10
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Significance of the study

This study discusses the benefits that may be derived from the results of the

study and the people who can benefit from those results.

The outcomes of the present study will be beneficial and valuable to the

following:

To the students. The result of this study will provide necessary pieces of

information of the mental health of the student which could be a great help to the

respondents in understanding themselves. It can also help them to be more aware

about mental and psychological health through the help of the recommendation of the

researchers;

To the Parents. The results of this study will be beneficial to the parents having

children who have the same age bracket as the respondents. The recommendations will

help them in dealing with the problems with their children’s mental health issues, which

is not easy to know.

To the School. The results of this study can help the school as well as the

guidance counselors to know what the main problem of the students is and immediately

formulate actions to avoid possible negative effects that can harm the well-being of the

students under their supervision.

To the Philippine Mental Health Association, Inc. The results of this study will

strengthen their promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental health

disorders.

Future Researchers. Lastly, this will also be beneficial to future researchers to

draw pertinent results to their studies. The researchers used a set of a survey

11
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

questionnaire in gathering pertinent data. The questionnaires were disseminated via an

online Google form survey sent to the respondents. After all the data needed were

gathered, the frequencies of answers in each question were tallied and their percentage

was obtained. Through these, the researchers obtained well conclusions and suitable

recommendations.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

In this study, the researchers used a descriptive correlational research design,

specifically a quantitative research method with the aims to evaluate the mental health

problem experienced by West Visayas State University Himamaylan City Campus

(WVSU-HCC) specifically the 3rd year students and assess its relation to their everyday

living amid COVID-19 pandemic. In order to study the students' mental health amidst

the COVID-19 pandemic and new normal of education, the researchers made usage of

21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale or DASS-21, concerning the factors that

affects the student’s mental health during COVID-19. To obtain the necessary data of

the necessary data in determining the prevailing factors of affecting student’s mental

health amidst COVID-19, the researcher gathered information through an online survey

utilizing google form. With the participants' consent, they were subjected to the DASS-

21 and provide their academic performance for the first grading of SY 2020-2021.

12
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

Chapter two presents the conceptual and related literature of the study. This

chapter contains three main topics: (1) Conceptual Literature; (2) Related Studies; and

(3) Summary of the related literature.

Part One, Conceptual Literature, articles or books that are written by authorities

who give ideas or opinions.

Part Two, Related Studies, inquiries or investigations already conducted to which

the present study is related to or has some bearing or similarity. They are usually

unpublished materials such as manuscripts, theses and dissertations.

Part Three, Summary of the Review of Related Literature, a brief statement

mentioning the main points of the study.

Conceptual Literature

2.1 COVID-19 Pandemic, Mental Health, and Students

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a Public Health

Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 2020 (Coronavirus (COVID-19)

events as they happen, 2020.) COVID-19 pandemic has reached a level of a

humanitarian crisis with over 6 million confirmed cases and 350,000 deaths globally to

date (Up to 31st May 2020). PHEICs can pose a significant mental health risk to

communities (Davis et al., 2010).

13
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Mental health is commonly associated when a person becomes fully aware of

their abilities, can adapt to the stressors and problems in their life, can work within self-

fulfillment and satisfaction efficiently, and contribute to society.

According to the American Psychological Association (2020), the pandemic has

caused much worry, stress, and grief. These stressors can cause mental health

challenges for anyone and cause acute symptoms to appear for people who may

experience preexisting mental health challenges. Some of the typical indicators teachers

may use to identify students experiencing mental health difficulties may not be

available. Some teachers may not be meeting with students in person. Some teachers

may not have the same student drop-ins. Some teachers may not be able to read

students’ masked faces and wonder how students are doing or the degree to which they

are struggling, particularly with emotional problems.

Furthermore, during later adolescent years, college students spend most of their

time in schools and frequently interact with peers, classmates, and teachers. Their

ability to socially integrate with the entities in the academe influences the state of their

mental health. Mental health issues are the leading impediment to academic success.

Mental illness can affect students’ motivation, concentration, and social interactions—

crucial factors for students to succeed in higher education.

College can be quite stressful for students due to the many different types of

transitions they experience during this period. Immense levels of stress may lead to

mental health problems, especially if not treated early (Douce & Keeling, 2014).

Seventy-five (75%) of lifetime mental disorders have been reported to the first onset

during college years, with students’ ages ranging from 18-24 years (Kessler et al. 2005).

14
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Records show an increase in the number of mental illness cases in college and becoming

more complex (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). As mental health issues have detrimental

effects on students’ life and success, promoting mental health awareness on campuses

is becoming a necessity, as it is for students to have a proper understanding of mental

health and its importance (Eisenberg, Hunt & Speer, 2012).

2.2 Depression and Anxiety

According to recent studies, depression and anxiety are the most common types

of mental disorders, and comorbidity is also prevalent with these two disorders, which

means that depression and anxiety may be simultaneously present in one person. Many

individuals with anxiety also have depression and vice versa (Beiter et al., 2014). The

most common mental disorders refer to two main diagnostic categories: depressive

disorders and anxiety disorders. These disorders are highly prevalent in the world and

impact the mood or feelings of affected persons. These symptoms range in terms of

their severity from mild to severe and last for months to years (Holliday et al., 2015).

These are diagnosable health conditions and are distinct from feelings of sadness,

anxiety, stress, or fear that anyone can experience from time to time in their everyday

lives. At a global level, it's been reported that over 300 million people are estimated to

suffer from depression, while more than 250 million people are estimated to suffer from

anxiety disorder (WHO, 2017).

The number of individuals with common mental disorders such as depression

and anxiety is rising on a global scale. Specifically, in lower-income countries such as the

Philippines because of the rapid growth of population, which results in more people

15
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

living within the adolescent age, the age range when depression and anxiety most

commonly occur (WHO, 2017). Although depression and anxiety both can and do affect

people of all ages. This risk of becoming depressed is mainly affected by poverty,

unemployment, tragic life events, and physical illnesses such as cancer. Some factors

also include the behavioral lifestyle present in early adolescence (Loewen et al., 2019).

Moreover, the pervasiveness of mental health disorders within the Philippines is

gradually measured and shown to increase among youth (Cleofas, 2019).

Depressive disorders are associated with great feelings of sadness, loss of

passion or engagement with tasks and hobbies, feelings of regret, low self-esteem,

disturbed sleep cycles or eating habits, extreme fatigue, and poor concentration.

Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual's ability

to function at work or school and negatively view oneself, the environment, and the

future (Schwarzer, 1984). Only limited studies on Filipino students have found that

excessive sadness, a symptom of depression, is due to anxiety and stress are related to

academics and subjective factors (Zuorba, Cantara, & Olan, 2017).

On the other hand, anxiety disorders are distinguished from a subjective state of

intense and uncontrolled fear and anxiety. Psychologically, extreme causes of anxiety

can cause someone to feel disconnected from oneself and even fearing insane (Bourne,

2010). Additionally, Anxiety Disorder can also refer to a group of mental disorders

such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety

disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder

(WHO, 2017).

16
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

2.3 Stress

Stress is the typical reaction of a person's physical and mental aspect towards

any change that requires an adjustment or response to perceived threats in a person's

life. May it be literal or imagined, stress affects the physiological and psychological well-

being of people. In turn, these effects can result in several stress reactions, such as the

fight-or-flight response (Seaward, 2018). In a conducted study amongst Filipino

students, stress was positively associated with their everyday routine and significantly

affected their mental state. Such practices that correlate with their stress response were

ranked in the following order: academics, amount of workload, and time management

(Dy, Ferido, Espiritu-Santo, & Ria, 2015).

Related Studies

In a 2012 American College Health Association National College Health

Assessment, almost 30% of students reported feeling so depressed that it was hard for

them to function. It should also be taken into account that some mental health disorders

don’t develop until early adulthood, or college age years. According to an Associated

Press-mtvU poll conducted in 2009, four out of every ten college students are

depressed. This means that even if you personally are not affected by depression, you

most likely have a friend, or roommate, or classmate who is even if you do not know it.

Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide in adolescents and

children. About 15% of children and adolescents in the world have mental health

disorders or conditions. Nearly 50% of mental disorders start to affect the children by

the age of 14. If left untreated, a child's mental development has been found to be

17
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

drastically and detrimentally impacted. It is well established that mental health is one of

the essential parts of human development and determines the outcome of a child's

educational attainments and the potential to live fulfilling and productive lives. Mental

illness can affect children at any point during their childhood, but it most significantly

affects them during adolescence. Among the several mental illnesses that can be

prevalent in childhood, depression is one of the major leading causes of mental illness

amongst children. In 2016, an estimated 53,000 deaths were due to adolescent suicide,

which is the third leading cause of morbidity in this group. This emphasizes that

adolescence is a period of vulnerability for the onset of mental health conditions. (Shah

K, Mann S, Singh R, et al. 2020)

Education has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic with 1.53

billion learners out of school and 184 country-wide school closures, impacting 87.6% of

the world’s total enrolled learners (Education Cannot Wait [ECW], 2020). Recently,

studies have shown that prolonged school closure and home confinement during a

disease outbreak might have negative effects on children’s physical and mental health

(for review Guessoum et al., 2020). The consequences of COVID-19 impact not only the

physical health and wellbeing but also the mental health, which can have a disastrous

effect on the health system.

According to the Globalization and Health, the repercussions of COVID-19 on

children and adolescents’ mental health are best conceptualized multidimensionally.

First, the closure of school and community services, as well as limited social interaction,

shortened the number of daily activities in which children can engage; it also disrupted

18
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

their regular routine and made adjustment to a new routine challenging. Second, to

keep up with their learning schedule, most of the schools moved the traditional class to

an online setting. Virtual spaces, such as Dingding and Zoom, created a new form of

learning, but also increased students’ access to electronic devices, which could have an

impact on students’ mental and physical health. In addition, the home quarantine policy

reorganized family dynamics. Parents not only have to work from home and deal with

their economic and emotional distress, but also spend extra time in taking care of their

children and dealing with their children’s emotions, such as isolation from peers and

anxiety and depression. Research has shown that when parents experience elevated

levels of cumulative stress, their parental behaviors might become more rigid and

abusive, which, in turn, would negatively impact children’s mental health.

Moreover, COVID-19 might influence children and adolescents’ adjustment in a

cascading fashion, especially for children and adolescents whose family members are

directly impacted by the pandemic. For example, if family members were infected,

served as first-line medical staff, or died due to COVID-19, they might experience more

severe mental health impacts than other youth. Furthermore, these deleterious effects

could be synergistic, rather than just additive. Previous epidemics, such as Influenza A

(H1N1), have made clear the connection between emotional distress (such as anxiety

and depression) and viral diseases. Therefore, we anticipate that COVID-19 might also

influence children and adolescents’ mental health.

This unprecedented experience of ‘home quarantine’ under lockdown with the

uncertainty of academic and professional career has multifaceted impacts on the mental

19
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

health of students. For example, a Canadian study focusing on the effects of quarantine

after the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic found an association

between longer duration of quarantine with a high prevalence of anxiety and depression

among people. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is creating a psycho-emotional chaotic

situation as countries have been reporting a sharp rise of mental health problems,

including anxiety, depression, stress, sleep disorder as well as fear, among its citizens,

that eventually increased the substance use and sometimes suicidal behavior.

Researchers in China observed that the greater exposure to ‘misinformation’ through

social media are more likely contributing to the development of anxiety, depression, and

other mental health problems among its population of different socioeconomic

background [23–26]. Studies before the COVID-19 pandemic also suggested an inverse

relationship between media exposure and mental health [27, 28]. On the contrary, a

study in South Korea during the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) reported a

positive relationship between risk perception and media exposure. (Islam et al. 2020)

Apparently, the sudden joblessness and financial insecurity are putting the

university students in an unpleasant situation, affecting their socioeconomic and mental

well-being. It has been well accepted that living with families strongly generate

reassurance among the individuals, therefore, reduce depression and anxiety. Because

positive family environments often benefit the mental health of the vulnerable youth

experiencing depression or anxiety. However, this pandemic has brought extreme

financial pressure on families. Most of the families have been suffering from

unmanageable debts and a decline in income, thus, leaving the family members in a

traumatized situation. University students, who used to earn and contribute to their

20
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

families before lockdown, can hardly assist their parents in this crisis moment. One of

the sources of stress for students that has been observed among higher education

systems in different parts of the world relates to financial pressures (Aherne, 2001; Joo,

Durband, & Grable, 2008; Roberts, Golding, Towell, & Weinreb, 1999). Not surprisingly,

stress related to financial strain and uncertainty has a negative impact on student well-

being (Mahmoud, Staten, Hall, & Lennie, 2012; Smyth, Hockemeyer, Heron, Wonderlich,

& Pennebaker, 2008). Students’ financial stress is associated with higher self-reported

mental health needs (Hyun, Quinn, Madon, & Lustig, 2006), difficulties in college

adjustment (Meehan & Negy, 2003), and a range of adverse behaviors, social relations,

and academic outcomes (Adams, Meyers, & Beidas, 2016; Northern, O’Brien, & Goetz,

2010).

Tertiary level students may be especially vulnerable to COVID-19’s psychological

impact because they are in the transition stages of their academic and professional lives

International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction and in general have been prone to

experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression (APA 2013; Craven 2020; Zivin

et al. 2009). These general mental health impacts for college students have also been

found among Bangladeshi students—showing that they experience high levels of anxiety

and depression than adults (Mamun et al. 2019).

Every student needs to be accessible to online or distance education. But

unfortunately access to the internet is not the same everywhere. Likewise, not every

student has their own PC. Moreover, some regions of the world do not even have

electricity. Even if the infrastructure problems are resolved in some way, the constant

21
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

exposure of students to distance or online education is tedious to them. For this reason,

the motivation of the students for learning decreases and the learning goals are not

achieved. Not only students but also teachers and families are affected by the negative

effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. Families may not have enough support

for their children to learn at home. This may be due to low socio-economic level of

families, as well as low educational level of family members. Likewise, teachers have an

important role in the success of the educational process. But most teachers lacked

pedagogical competence about how to manage the teacher distance or online education

process. They didn't know how to develop distance or online educational tools (Rapanta

et al., 2020). Therefore, the negative effects of the outbreak seem to be more difficult

to compensate for the students. Going to school is the best public policy tool available to

raise skills. While school time can be fun and can raise social skills and social awareness,

from an economic point of view the primary point of being in school is that it increases a

child’s ability (Burgess & Sievertsen, 2020). According to Reimers (2020) for the vast

majority of children who loose opportunities to learn because of the pandemic, it will be

hard to recover from those losses, the harder the longer the period of physical isolation

from other students and teachers. The educational disadvantage such losses generate

will beget more educational, and eventually economic and social disadvantage. Because

these losses will be experienced by large segments of the population, societies will

suffer as their productivity is diminished.

22
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

COVID-19 pandemic came out as the most devastating and challenging crisis for

public health in the contemporary world. Apart from the soaring mortality rate, nations

across the globe have also been suffering from a spike of the excruciating psychological

outcomes, i.e., anxiety and depression among people of all ages. University students are

no exception, as all the educational institutions are unprecedentedly closed for more

than usual, and for Bangladesh, it is more than two months in a row. Such closure, in

general, triggers a sense of uncertainty about academic and professional career among

the educands and intensifies persistent mental health challenges among university

students. Given such circumstances, the main goal of this study was to investigate the

prevalence of depression and anxiety among the Bangladeshi university students during

the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the factors influencing the presence of

depression and anxiety disorder. (Islam et al. 2020)

Summary of The Related Studies

As real-world responsibilities and career opportunities loom in the near future,

the college years might be the most stressful time of a student's life. This is a period

when students are essentially deciding the course of their lives, and the pressure can

lead to serious mental health problems. College years are the time when people are

more vulnerable to developing a variety of mental health problems, and mental health

has received a lot of attention on university campuses in recent years. Mental illness has

been widely reported all throughout the world. Poor mental health is a huge issue in

university, not just because it affects how students learn, but also because it affects

23
 West Visayas State University
HIMAMAYLAN CITY CAMPUS
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

whether or not they complete their degrees. Finally, indications of poor mental health

have a significant impact on students' career prospects and general lives.

As this COVID-19 pandemic occurs it was reported, college students are

showing greater levels of stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and poor sleep

patterns than any time in our nation’s history, and the current trend lines suggest that it

will continue to get worse. Many students find college to be a stressful experience. Aside

from academic pressure, some students must deal with the stressful duties of separation

and individuation from their families of origin, while others must balance several career

and family responsibilities.

24