Factors Contributing to the Presence of Depression in an Online Distance Learner: A systematic review

Abstract

Studies show that online learners are depressed when committing themselves to online learning. However, little data are available about the factors that contribute to the presence of depression. This study aims to reveal the factors by conducting a systematic literature review on six online databases. Based on the review, this study has found that the factors could be categorised into poor perception of online learning mode, infrastructure, resources and support issues, personal weakness and problem, and the COVID-19 phenomenon. Given the findings, the COVID-19 phenomenon interestingly seemed to be the main factor and should be further investigated in the future. Keywords: Depression; Online learner; COVID-19; eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by E-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behavior Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioral Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behavior Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.