Exploring mental health challenges and coping strategies in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Abstract

BackgroundMental health challenges have emerged worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. University students experienced changes in their lifestyles, academic life, family relationships, earning capacity, and support systems. This study explores the common mental health challenges in university students and their coping strategies using social support in the first wave of lockdowns in Dhaka city in 2020. By learning from young people’s impacts and coping responses, we can help build an improved strategy for future events of this magnitude.MethodsA qualitative study design was employed to conduct 20 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions with students from purposively selected three public and three private universities in Dhaka city and five key informant interviews with different stakeholders. We used inductive reflexive thematic analysis and applied six phases of the thematic analysis. Codes retrieved from two differently prepared codebooks were merged and compared to identify themes for a fair interpretation of the underlying data. Data were manually indexed, summarized, and interpreted to categorize codes into sub-themes leading to themes.ResultsFinancial constraints, academic pressure, learning resources shortages, losing confidence, relationship breakup, excessive internet dependency, and traumatic experiences challenged the mental health conditions of the students unevenly across universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Expressed mental health well-being impacts ranged from anxiety, stress, and depression to self-harm and suicidal ideation. Family bonding and social networking appeared as robust social support mechanisms to allow students to cope with anxiety, stress, and depression. Partial financial subsidies, soft loans to purchase electronic resources, faculty members’ counseling, and sessional health counseling contributed to minimizing the mental health impacts of COVID-19.ConclusionMental health is still not a resourced area of health and well-being in Bangladesh. Concentration on developing strong social support and improving increased financial subsidies, including learning resources, can be effective in assisting students in coping with the common mental health burdens during pandemic periods. A national intervention plan should be immediately designed and implemented by engaging different stakeholders including healthcare professionals and establishing effective mental healthcare support centers at universities to avoid immediate and prolonged negative mental health impacts.

Impact of digital communications on project efficiency through ease of use and top management support

“…They have to juggle both professional and personal life, including the schools that also switched to digital tools, making it complicated for female participants [ 101 ]. A study on the general public has explained this psychological pressure and the impact of covid-19 on people in Bangladesh [ 102 ].…”

The effect of social support on home isolation anxiety and depression among college students in the post-pandemic era: the mediating effect of perceived loss of control and the moderating role of family socioeconomic status

“…Following suit, individuals have embarked upon a phase of production and living termed the "Post-Pandemic Era, " whose profound ramifications reverberate globally (1)(2)(3)(4). The Post-Pandemic Era does not signify a complete eradication or total recuperation from the pandemic; rather, it denotes a period wherein the pandemic may still manifest in cyclical and scalable outbreaks, enduring over an extended duration, and perpetually impacting various domains (5)(6)(7). In March 2022, influenced by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, numerous regions in China witnessed a dramatic escalation in infection numbers (8,9).…”

Condições emocionais e intervenções grupais para a promoção de saúde mental entre estudantes da Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso

“…Esta Tese tem como objeto a saúde mental de estudantes universitários da UNEMAT. A saúde mental de universitários tem sido o foco de muitos estudos internacionais (Billah et al, 2023;Cheung et al, 2020;Wilks et al, 2020) e nacionais (Galvão et al, 2020, Gomes et al, 2020 nos últimos anos, evidenciando o intenso processo de adoecimento emocional dessa população (Bresolin et al, 2020;Ribeiro et al, 2020).…”

“…Com os impactos em diversos âmbitos da vida em decorrência da pandemia de COVID-19, a saúde mental emergiu como uma área de grande preocupação. Os estudos têm evidenciado que os universitários enfrentaram desafios singulares, haja vista que a transição para o ensino remoto emergencial, o isolamento social e as incertezas relacionadas à crise de saúde global podem ter influenciado a saúde mental e a qualidade de vida de modo negativo, conforme evidenciado por estudos nacionais (Correia-Zanini et al, 2023;Patias et al, 2021;Prado et al, 2023) e internacionais (Billah et al, 2023;Flores et al, 2022;Jovanović & Višnjić, 2023).…”

“…Estudos têm indicado que o processo de adaptação universitária está relacionado à saúde mental e ao bem-estar dos estudantes, uma vez que a incorporação repentina dos desafios ao cotidiano do acadêmico pode acarretar a exacerbação de emoções negativas e acometimento de transtornos mentais, como a depressão, ansiedade e estresse . Para além disso, a pandemia interferiu diretamente na saúde mental de acadêmicos e intensificou as incertezas frente às condições de isolamento social, suspensão das aulas presenciais, mudanças na modalidade de ensino, interrupção de projetos de pesquisas e atrasos na formação acadêmica, achados esses referidos tanto em estudos brasileiros quanto internacionais (Alduais et al, 2022;Billah et al, 2023;Correia-Zanini et al, 2023;Patias et al, 2021).…”