University Students’ Anxiety in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
With the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, many universities shifted to online education. This system provided different merits in the time of university closure, stay-at-home orders and lockdowns and reduced the risks of students’ and educators’ disease contraction thereby taking care of their physical health. However, the aforementioned system engendered a number of demerits as the mental health of university students was negatively affected and worldwide some students experienced moderate to severe anxiety. In underprivileged countries, this situation was aggravated for students who did not afford electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, tablets or personal computers. Moreover, in countries where high-speed internet is not available or there are some internet connection problems, university students and educators may feel more anxious during online classes and at the time of exams. It is suggested that some anxiety-reducing strategies be taken by governments and educators throughout the world such as providing free internet packages for students, supplying financial support and interest-free loans for them to afford electronic devices and offering asynchronous classes in addition to synchronous ones. Likewise, some health system strategies should be offered to supply crisis-oriented psychological services for university students.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v9i3.3593
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