Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Narrative Review

Vol. 20 No. 2 (2022): New Horizons: Innovation in Medicine

Implication of COVID-19 on Post-Secondary Students’ Mental Health: A Review

DOI
https://doi.org/10.26443/mjm.v20i2.922
Submitted
July 21, 2021
Published
2022-04-19

Abstract

Introduction: Nearing two years into the current pandemic, COVID-19 is recognized worldwide for its devastating physical effects, with mandatory restrictions implemented to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. However, the world is only beginning to understand the pandemic’s mental and social side effects. As such, current research on consequential mental health from COVID-19 is still novel, and there is much more to be learned concerning the long-term psychological effects and damage from the pandemic.

Discussion: The combination of online learning and social isolation due to COVID-19 has affected post-secondary students across North America as it relates to their overall well-being and mental health. Researchers have aimed to examine the psychological impact on students’ mental health, primarily through cross-sectional studies and self-reported surveys.

Conclusion: Studies have determined that COVID-19 has increased mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, as well as increased feelings of isolation, loneliness, and fatigue. Furthermore, drinking and substance use, poor sleeping patterns, and screen time have risen as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

Relevance: These findings call for post-secondary institutions, health care providers, and governments to prioritize the mental health of future generations while providing support and intervention programs. Future research should focus on further investigating COVID-19’s long-term effects on the mental health of post-secondary students and exploring prevention methods.

References

  1. Johnson HR. Position Paper: The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health [Internet]. Psychiatry Advisor. 2021 [cited 2021 March 12]. Available from: https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/general-psychiatry/position-paper-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-mental-health/
  2. Javed B, Sarwer A, Soto E, Mashwani Z. The coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic's impact on mental health. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management. 2020;35(5):993-996. [cited 2021 Feb 22]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3008
  3. Fuentes C. Zoom fatigue and all-nighters: Online learning takes a toll on students’ mental health [Internet]. The Beacon. 2021 [cited 2021 March 18]. Available from: https://www.upbeacon.com/article/2020/10/zoom-fatigue-and-all-nighters-online-learning-takes-a-toll-on-students-mental-health
  4. Becker M. Educators are key in protecting student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic [Internet]. Brookings Institution. 2021 [cited 2021 March 17]. Available from: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/02/24/educators-are-key-in-protecting-student-mental-health-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
  5. Kwai I, Peltier E. ‘What’s the Point?’ Young People’s Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On [Internet]. The New York Times. 2021 [cited 2021 March 18]. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/14/world/europe/youth-mental-health-covid.html
  6. Stringer H. Zoom school’s mental health toll on kids [Internet]. American Psychological Association. 2021 [cited 2021 March 16]. Available from: http://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/10/online-learning-mental-health
  7. MacKenzie E. Don’t Tell Me The Isolation Of Online Learning Is Worth A Full University Tuition [Internet]. HuffPost Canada. 2021 [cited 2021 March 17]. Available from: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/online-learning-university- tuition_ca_602591f1c5b680717ee67792
  8. Schroeder R. Zoom Fatigue: What We Have Learned [Internet]. Inside Higher Ed. 2021 [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/online-trending-now/zoom-fatigue-what-we-have-learned
  9. Williams N. Working through COVID-19: ‘Zoom’ gloom and ‘Zoom’ fatigue. Occupational Medicine. 2021;71(3):164-164. [cited 2021 Aug 31]. Available from: https://doi.org//10.1093/occmed/kqab041
  10. Jiang M. The reason Zoom calls drain your energy [Internet]. BBC News. 2021 [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting
  11. Townsend E. Debate: The impact of school closures and lockdown on mental health in young people. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 2020;25(4):265-266. [cited 2021 March 17]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12428
  12. Saltzman L, Hansel T, Bordnick P. Loneliness, isolation, and social support factors in post-COVID-19 mental health. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 2020;12(S1):S55-S57. [cited 2021 Feb 22]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000703
  13. Hamza C, Ewing L, Heath N, Goldstein A. When social isolation is nothing new: A longitudinal study on psychological distress during COVID-19 among university students with and without preexisting mental health concerns. Canadian Psychology. 2021;62(1):20-30. [cited 2021 Feb 22]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000255
  14. Conrad R, Hahm H, Koire A, Pinder-Amaker S, Liu C. College student mental health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications of campus relocation. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2021;136:117-126. [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.054
  15. Mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. [image on Internet]. Statistics Canada. 2020 [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2020039-eng.pdf?st=L8kMkZlk
  16. New research reveals impact of COVID-19 pandemic on child and youth mental health [Internet]. SickKids. 2021 [cited 2021 April 10]. Available from: https://www.sickkids.ca/en/news/archive/2021/impact-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-child-youth-mental-health/
  17. Druss B. Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic in Populations With Serious Mental Illness. JAMA Psychiatry. 2020;77(9):891. [cited 2021 March 17]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.0894
  18. Yao H, Chen J, Xu Y. Patients with mental health disorders in the COVID-19 epidemic. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7(4):e21. [cited 2021 Feb 22]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30090-0
  19. Horigian V, Schmidt R, Feaster D. Loneliness, Mental Health, and Substance Use among US Young Adults during COVID-19. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 2020;53(1):1-9. [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1836435
  20. Substance use and COVID-19 [Internet]. Drug Free Kids Canada. 2021 [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://www.drugfreekidscanada.org/support-yourself-and-your-family-through-the-challenges-of-covid-19/substance-use-and-covid-19/
  21. COVID-19 and Increased Alcohol Consumption: NANOS Poll Summary Report [Internet]. Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. 2021 [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://www.ccsa.ca/covid-19-and-increased-alcohol-consumption-nanos-poll-summary-report
  22. Aten J. Increased Screen Time and Mental Health Issues During COVID [Internet]. Psychology Today. 2021 [cited 2021 March 21]. Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hope-resilience/202011/increased-screen-time-and-mental-health-issues-during-covid
  23. Pandya A, Lodha P. Social connectedness, excessive screen time during COVID-19 and mental health: A review of current evidence. Frontiers in Human Dynamics. 2021;3. [cited 2021 November 6]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2021.684137
  24. Smith L, Jacob L, Trott M, Yakkundi A, Butler L, Barnett Y et al. The association between screen time and mental health during COVID-19: A cross sectional study. Psychiatry Research. 2020;292:113333. [cited 2021 March 21]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113333
  25. What is This Much Screen Time Really Doing to Our Health? [Internet]. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care - The HaPi Guide. 2021 [cited 2021 March 20]. Available from: https://www.harvardpilgrim.org/hapiguide/what-is-this-much-screen-time-really-doing-to-our-health/
  26. Sleep and Mental Health - Harvard Health Publishing [Internet]. Harvard Health. 2021 [cited 2021 March 21]. Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health
  27. Rafique N, Al-Asoom L, Al Sunni A, Saudagar F, Almulhim L, Alkaltham G. Effects of Mobile Use on Subjective Sleep Quality. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2020;Volume 12:357-364. [cited 2021 Feb 22]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S253375
  28. Petterson S, Westfall J-M, Miller B-F. Projected Deaths of Despair from COVID-19. [Internet] Providence St. Joseph Health Digital Commons. 2020;3054. [cited 2021 Aug 31]. Available from: https://digitalcommons.psjhealth.org/publications/3054
  29. Starter Kit: For the National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students. [Internet] Mental Health Commission of Canada. 2021. [cited 2021 March 22]. Available from: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/media/4397
  30. Mitchell T, Ortega S. Mental Health Challenges Require Urgent Response [Internet]. Inside Higher Ed. 2021 [cited 2021 Feb 22]. Available from: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/10/29/students-mental-health-shouldnt-be-responsibility-campus-counseling-centers-alone
  31. Coronavirus Death Toll and Trends [Internet]. Worldometer. 2021 [cited 2021 July 21]. Available from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-death-toll/

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.