PERCEIVED MENTAL HEALTH AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OF STUDENTS IN NEPAL DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into attention the mental health of various affected populations including children and youth. The objective of the study was to assess the perceived mental health and learning environment of college students in Nepal during COVID-19 outbreak. The college students enrolled in bachelor’s degree completed a self-administered questionnaire survey. The students were approached through text messaging and email and selected with non-probability sampling during the pandemic. The study assessed information on demographic characteristics, academic difficulties, financial and family difficulties, and mental health issues with coping mechanism during the outbreak. Descriptive findings revealed that the academic difficulties were more likely to be reported by high percentage of students. The students also described they were facing family and financial problems. High percentage of students was associated with depressive thought. To cope with anxiety and depressive thoughts, more than half students have pursued support from family and friends, helped themselves with self-management activities during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic situation is making a significant negative impact on mental health and learning environment of college students. The study suggests that health service providers and educators need to consider proactive measures to support the mental health and learning environment of students. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Mental Health, Learning Environment, Academic Difficulties, Financial Problems, Depressive Thought, Coping Mechanism, Self-management.