Psychological Health Of Students Research Articles

Study of Covid-19 - Related Ecological Habitat of College Students: A Survey

In recent years, the interaction of people with the surrounding ecological environment has become increasingly unsafe for health, namely the person' physical and mental capabilities. This is especially true of the younger generation, like students of higher educational institutions, who have weakened immunity due to a busy study schedule, constant mental overload and stress. That is, health, as a sign of the quality of life of a student, is associated with the ecological situation and lifestyle, therefore, is one of the main concepts of human ecology. The influence of additional negative factors, such as stress and restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, greatly increases the risk of developing students' mental health problems. Unexpected isolation related to Covid-19 has caused disruption to daily routines, especially in students. The sudden change in the learning environment and limited social interactions and activities posed an unusual situation for children's developing brains. The study aim is to investigate and identify the psychological threats posed by students of different ages (under 20, between 21–25, and 26-32) in this pandemic of COVID-19. It was found that 28.0% of students were often nervous and stressed in the age group under 20, in contrast to 26.5% and 11.1% in groups 21 to 25 and over 26, respectively. In the younger group of students, 10.2% of students never felt upset, in the group of 21-25 years old - 8.3% and over 26 years old - 5.6%. It was concluded that it is mandatory to assess the student's psychological health and to plan for necessary support mechanisms, mainly during the recovery phase, because depression, stress, fear of getting infected, fear of losing a loved one, fear about getting jobs and related academic issues, disturbance in sleeping pattern, increase in duration of screen time, etc., were found to be common among students of all age groups.

Evaluation of Attitudes toward Corporal Expression in Primary School Students: Validation and Psychometric Properties of a Questionnaire

The content of corporal expression, usually forgotten by some teachers, has been shown to have favorable effects on the physical, social, and psychological health of students at all levels of education. Likewise, students' attitudes should be positively influenced in the school environment in order to improve the teaching-learning process of the different contents taught. The purpose of this study was to provide the factor structure and validity of a questionnaire used to gauge pupils' attitudes toward corporal expression. The sample consisted of 709 students in the last cycle of primary school from schools in the region of Extremadura (Spain). Reliability testing as well as confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were conducted. The findings revealed a factor structure with three dimensions composed of 30 items with high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85-0.90) and good and exceptional goodness-of-fit values. As a result, the questionnaire can be seen as a quick and simple instrument to use in analyzing students' attitudes toward corporal expression and enabling stakeholders to take action to support it.

Structural Relationships between Environmental Factors, Psychological Health, and Academic Performance in Medical Students Engaged in Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and the enforced quarantine, universities in Malaysia were required to switch to an online class format. The resulting changes in the environmental factors of students may have had an impact on their psychological health and academic performance. This study aimed to determine the effects of environmental factors and the psychological health of students and examine their structural relationship with academic performance. A cross-sectional design with an online self-reported questionnaire was adopted, and the study was conducted among 207 undergraduate medical students at the Health Campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia. The environmental factors were measured using the lighting-noise-temperature scale and technology scale, while psychological health was assessed using the short version of the General Health Questionnaire and academic performance was determined based on Grade Point Average. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling were used for analysis of the data. No significant relationship was found between environmental factors and academic performance, or between environmental factors and psychological health. Nonetheless, the hypothesized structural model provided scientific evidence of an inverse relationship between psychological health and academic performance. These findings could be helpful for academics, health policymakers, and health educators in terms of understanding and promoting psychological wellbeing among university students, as well as improving their academic performance.

Contribution of influential factors on PM2.5 concentrations in classrooms of a primary school in North China: A machine discovery approach

Indoor air quality is crucial to the physical and psychological health of students because they spend a large portion of their time in classrooms. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations are affected by various complex factors, such as outdoor PM2.5, temperature, and relative humidity. However, how and to what extent these factors contribute to PM2.5 concentrations remains unclear. Recently, black-box (e.g., neural networks) and white-box (e.g., linear regression) models have been applied to analyze their contributions. However, these models either have low interpretability or are insufficient for revealing complex nonlinear relationships. To address these issues, indoor PM2.5 concentrations in ten classrooms were monitored for twelve months at a primary school in North China, and the contribution of various influential factors was calculated using partial derivatives based on this approach. This method can automatically identify linear and nonlinear relationship models from a large amount of data without a prior hypothesis. Experimental results showed that: (1) The contribution of each influential factor to indoor PM2.5 varied greatly in the 12 months based on the identified relationships. In addition, no single relationship pattern was identified that could universally describe the factors influencing indoor PM2.5. (2) The method developed in this study can automatically identify linear and nonlinear relationship models with white-box structures from a large amount of data without a prior hypothesis, which is more interpretable and applicable than other baselines. (3) Targeted solutions can be drawn by the contribution of each factor and three types of relationship curves (i.e., N-shaped, M−shaped, and W-shaped), the latter of which is the Pareto front revealed by our results. The study offers informative results regarding the temporal dynamics of indoor PM2.5 concentrations and quantitative contributions of influential factors based on timely long-term data, which promotes the understanding of changes in indoor PM2.5 concentrations. This also demonstrates the promising potential of using low-cost online sensors to conduct informative measurements that guide schools to more effectively improve classroom air quality.

REFLEXOS DA PRÁTICA DE IOGA NO DESEMPENHO FÍSICO DE ESTUDANTES OBESOS

ABSTRACT Introduction: Yoga practice is an activity recently implemented in the content of school physical education to guide students to participate actively in sports activities. Its impacts on the body and psychological health of students are constantly evaluated. Objective: Study the effect of yoga practice on the heart rate and cardiopulmonary capacity of obese students. Methods: 40 obese students from a high school were selected as volunteers for the experiment, randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, with no change in location or duration of intervention between the groups. The students in the control group participated in regular school activities during physical education classes, while the experimental group performed yoga training during the same schedule. The duration was eight weeks. Results: After the experiment, the heart rate and lung function indexes of the students in the experimental group showed a statistical increase, without significant weight changes, but body fat and visceral fat were reduced, with improvement in their body composition and muscle lines. Conclusion: Yoga practice reflected a positive effect on the physical performance of obese students, positively impacting on heart rate and cardiopulmonary resistance of the students. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING: CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD

In a momentous move, mental health was included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015 as part of its 2030 Agenda. Emphasising the excessively high global burden of disease due to mental illness, the UN positioned mental health as a priority for global development. Consequently, promotion of mental health and wellbeing became a vital part of SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being. Further, it is crucial in ensuring the achievement of several other SDGs such as No Poverty (SDG 1), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Reduced Inequality (SDG 10) amongst others. On World Mental Health Day 2023, the World Health Organization reiterated that “mental health is a universal human right” asserting that everyone everywhere has the right to the “highest attainable standard” of mental health. WHO further noted that it was impossible to accomplish sustainable development without attending to mental health. The National Education Policy, which was adopted by India in 2020, closely reflected these sentiments and took a holistic approach to learning. It highlighted the critical role played by educational institutes in ensuring emotional well-being and psychological health of students and impressed upon these institutes to create an inclusive and supportive environment conducive to psychological growth. This paper examines the rising trend towards appreciating the critical role of mental health in holistic education, sustainable development and growth. It assesses the provisions of the Sustainable Development Goals and National Education Policy that cater to this goal of facilitating mental health and inform policies of educational institutes. Actionable insights and policy recommendations are offered.

Prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress and its relationship with knowledge about COVID-19 in medical and laboratory medicine students of Umm-Al-Qura University: a cross-sectional survey

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has continued relentlessly for over one and half years now, causing a threat to life, fear of falling sick, helplessness, anxiety, depression and, pessimism about the future. There has been an increasing concern over student mental health in higher education. Our study was designed to measure current mental health status and its relationship with sociodemographic variables and level of knowledge about COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.MethodA cross-sectional survey was conducted among laboratory medicine students of Makkah city, Saudi Arabia from October, 2020 to January, 21. A semi-structured questionnaire was circulated through mail and What’s App. Data collected included sociodemographic details and level of knowledge towards the COVID-19 among the students. Depression anxiety and stress-21 item (DASS 21) was used to assess psychological status.ResultOur study reported 51.4% depressive symptoms, 57.9% anxiety symptoms, and 48.5% stress in the study participants. History of being hospitalized with COVID-19 and ICU reported high anxiety (p = 0.0003) and depression scores (p = 0.04). Respiratory droplet as a mode of transmission revealed higher scores on anxiety subscale (p = 0.007), whereas surface contamination reported high score of stress (p = 0.004) and anxiety (p = 0.002). Knowing that COVID-19 can also clinically present with gastrointestinal symptoms was found to show high stress (p = 0.005) and anxiety (p = 0.01) scores than any other way of clinical presentation.ConclusionCOVID-19 is likely to cause negative effect on the psychological health of students.

The physical health recovery, the practice of the reproductive method of adaptive physical education

The article focuses on the need to introduce modern alternative health-saving methods and technologies of physical education, in particular, health tourism as an important factor in the educational process and a leading factor in the socialization and harmonious development of children and young people with special needs. The problem of physical education of pupil’s and student’s youth is relevant at the present stage of the development of health tourism. Adaptive physical education is an important factor in the rehabilitation of students who have limited physical health opportunities. We admit that the implementation of the program of health measures to organize the physical activity of students using the natural sedative factors of health tourism will have a great impact on the physical and mental development, social and psychophysical condition of students. Purpose: The purpose of the research is to substantiate the scientific and pedagogical aspects of the reproductive method of adaptive physical education of the student youth with special needs using health tourism. Involvement of this category of students in physical education to determine the social significance of adaptive physical culture in renewed and maintaining the state of physical and psychological health of people with special needs. Approach: A set of complementary methods by the assigned task is used in the work. Analysis and generalization of domestic and world experience on the problem of renewal and rehabilitation by methods and means of adaptive physical culture were carried out. The scientific special literature was analyzed on the problems of applying means of physical culture, on the complex resumption of physical health. Students of non-physical education institutions of higher education in Kharkiv took part in the research. The questionnaire survey technique is used in the experiment. In this method, we used the questionnaire that consists of 8 questions and was applied to up to 60 individuals regardless of gender. Results: The reproductive method of adaptive physical education is aimed at improving the knowledge in physical rehabilitation and forming the skills of persons with special needs to use natural factors for body resumption. The introduction of a mental-conceptual model increased awareness of health tourism means and methods by 18,5% (t=2,41; p<0,01). Psychological comfort after the proposed measures to preserve the state of physical and psychological health of students with special needs improved by 61,3% (t = 3,47; p<0,001). Conclusion: The search for ways to make optimal use of health tourism for the renewal of health and social adaptation of persons with special needs is one of the main areas of adaptive physical education.

The State of Anxiety as a Significant Factor in the Formation of the Style of Educational Activity of Younger Schoolchildren

The scientific relevance and social significance of the problem of anxiety in schoolchildren are determined by the maladaptation nature of its manifestations, the disintegration of educational activity under its anxiety, as well as the existence of the phenomenon of its “secondary benefit” for adult participants in the educational process. The aim of the study is to study anxiety in younger schoolchildren with different styles of educational activity according to the criterion of autonomy-dependence. The study has been conducted using the methods of expert survey and psychodiagnostic testing, in which appropriate reliable and valid psychodiagnostic techniques were used. The results of the study have been subjected to qualitative, substantive and quantitative analysis. The results’ analysis of an empirical study suggests the presence of certain features of manifestations of school anxiety, concerning the level of its severity and qualitative originality in younger schoolchildren with autonomous and dependent styles of educational activity. The results of the study indicate that in the presence of a high state of anxiety and a wide range of experiences in younger schoolchildren, there is a high probability of forming a dependent style of educational activity. This requires the need to develop and implement a competent psychological and pedagogical impact aimed at preventing and optimizing the anxiety of younger schoolchildren at the early stages of its development. Teachers need to take into account that their own personal and professional destructions can have a significant impact on the mental and psychological health of students. Thus, in the context of mastering educational activities, schoolchildren’s anxiety is an important factor in its adequate formation, effective regulation and productivity. Keywords: anxiety of schoolchildren, educational activity, autonomous style of educational activity, dependent style of educational activity, qualitative originality of school anxiety

Longitudinal Study of the Mental Health, Resilience, and Post-Traumatic Stress of Senior Nursing Students to Nursing Graduates during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study analyzed changes in the psychological health of students who were in the final year of their nursing degree during the COVID-19 pandemic and later served as nursing professionals in hospitals. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted over two periods of time (the first in April 2020 and the second 6 months later, in December 2020) with 296 students for a T0 baseline (rate response 68.83%) and 92 students for a T1 post-test sample (response rate 31.08%). The data were electronically collected using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Resilience Scale, and a post-traumatic stress questionnaire. The mean age of the sample participants was 24.17 years (SD = 5.51), and 89.11% were female. During the pandemic, 14.11% of students showed scores that indicated depression, and 32.61% showed scores that indicated anxiety. In December 2020, 86.5% of the participants were working as nurses, and the percentages of those with anxiety (12%) and depression (4.3%) were significantly lower than in the first sample period. A total of 20.7% of the participants had post-traumatic stress. High scores for resilience were significantly associated with better quality of life and lower levels of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Conclusions: Although the percentages of participants with anxiety and depression decreased, they still presented with mental health problems.

Anticipation of New Learning Methodologies

Words have their particular meaning and purpose to serve when used in a sentence. It is important to differentiate between the terms education and literacy, as being educated is more important than being just literate. When things were absolutely on track heading towards better understanding where the world was not just getting educated but also learnt concepts and topics much more beyond the imagination the effort to acquire knowledge on subjects was much easier than before. Also, students, today were not just restricted by the curriculum but also engage themselves in extracurricular activities worldwide. In India, the progress of the changeover of gurukul to virtual learning is a very delicate evolution in the course of the learning process that must be paid serious and proper attention to. There should be a check always that the young minds are nourished properly and they are not distracted or diverted by any unnatural or unhealthy elements that they spend more time with. More attention should be paid to the good physical and psychological health of students than keeping pace with the current trends of various learning methodologies. This article seeks to understand the response of students towards the evolution that’s being brought into their learning methodology.

The Effect of Touch Less Spiritual Therapy and Yin Yoga Toward Student’s Perceived Stress During Covid-19 Pandemic

Aims : The COVID-19 pandemic has brought massive changes in our lives. This change is also experienced by health students. Movement limitation, changes in social interactions, decrease in learning performance, and learning methods changes are just some of the stressors they tackled nowadays. Prolonged stressors will lead to psychological disorders, especially for health students. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of touchless spiritual therapy and yin yoga on student perceived stress during the Covid 19 pandemic. Design : This research was quantitative study using a quasi experimental post-test design. Methods : The population of this study were all students at STIKes Panti Waluya Malang, a total of 143 people. Based on Slovin formula, 60 samples were obtained which were taken using a simple random sampling technique. Respondents were divided into two groups, namely treatment and control, each group consisted of 30 respondents. The treatment group did modified touchless spiritual therapy and yin yoga five days a week for 6 weeks, while the control group didn’t. After 6 weeks, respondents of the two groups were asked to filled Perceived Stress Scale questionnaire. Data collection was carried out in the range of early November 2021 to late January 2022. The data was then processed with SPSS 26. Results : Mann-Whitney U Test showed a p value <0.05 (0.03). This means that there was an effect of touchless spiritual therapy and yin yoga toward student’s perceived stress. Conclusions : This study showed that during the pandemic, students experienced stress. Both spiritual approach and physical exercise provided through touchless spiritual healing and yin yoga could help students reduced their perceived stress. Further treatment was needed in order to develop our students psychological health so they become a resillient person which prevent them suffered from mental illness during the pandemic.

Analysis of Experimental Research Results Focused on Improving Student Psychological Health

Analysis of Experimental Research Results Focused on Improving Student Psychological Health

IMPACT OF COVID19 ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SLEEP HEALTH OF MEDICAL AND PARAMEDICAL STUDENTS

The objective of this study was to evaluatey the distress, anxiety, depression, and sleep impact of COVID19 pandemic on medical and paramedical students via an online survey. This prospective cross-sectional study included 382 (115 male and 267 female) participants and was conducted at University of Health Sciences, in northern India, through an online survey using three psychological scales- Peritraumatic distress Inventory (PDI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). The respondents included phase one and two students from various streams namely M.B.B.S (n=208; 53.47%), B.D.S (n=62; %), Nursing (n=91; 6%) and technical courses (n=21; 5.7%). One ninety-eight students (51.8%) suffered mild to severe stress, 161(42.1%) suffered anxiety, 169(44.2%) were depressed and 189(49.5%) students suffered some degree of insomnia. There was no difference in psychological and sleep morbidities in subgroup analysis of gender, residence and stream of medical education. CONCLUSION: The psychological morbidity is high in medical and paramedical students in terms of anxiety, depression, mental distress and sleep abnormalities in response to COVID-19 pandemic. The students should be counselled regarding mental health at regular interval and professional help should be taken when necessary.

Factors associated with the quality of life among paramedical students in Sousse governorate

Abstract Background The process of paramedical education has been proved to be a challenging scenario that threatens students' physical and psychological health. Compared with students of the same age, paramedical students must be at higher occupational stress in adapting to their lifestyle. The academic pressure, severe daytime somnolence, lack of physical exercise and social interaction, can lead to a decreasing quality of life (QOL). The aim of our study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of paramedical students in Sousse governorate and to find the associated factors that caused the variations among these students. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the governorate of Sousse including a randomized sample of the nursing students during the 2017/2018 school year. The data were collected using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire including the 36-item short form survey (SF-36). Results A total of 448 students was included in the study with an average age of 20.74 (SD = 1.25) years and a sex-ratio of 0.70. The overall QOL score was 49.8 (SD = 11.6) with a significantly higher mental score impairment (45.3 (SD = 12.1)) than the physical score ((54.2 (SD = 15.6)). The independent associated factors with a decreasing HRQOL were: socioeconomic level, living away from family, means of transport, exams stress and insecurity in everyday life. Conclusions Our study showed a low score of QOL among health sciences students. HRQOL was influenced by socio-demographic, behavioral and environmental factors. Future interventions and programs should focus on these influencing factors in order to improve the quality of life among paramedical students. Key messages Knowledge of associated factors is important to implement appropriate programs. Findings may have important implications for institutions responsible for promoting active lifestyle.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Psychological Effect on Undergraduate/ Postgraduate Students in Lockdown COVID-19 Situation.

Background:Student psychological health has been an increasing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus.Objective:Our study aims to conduct a timely assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college graduates and postgraduates.Methodology:We conducted online survey with 550 students to understand the effects of the pandemic on their psychology and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods.Results:Of the 550 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. When asked about how the lockdown in COVID-19 situation affecting them, 97% said that it is severely affecting them. When asked about what the problems do you faced during online class, 5% said the Internet, 83.8% said noninteractive, and 11.2% said lack of explanatory mediums. When asked about number of hours spent on the Internet, 100% said more than 10 h. When asked about the activities to keep yourself busy during lockdown in COVID-19 situation, 37% said social media followed by 23% who mentioned cooking.Conclusion:Due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on education. The findings of our study highlight the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the psychological health of college students.

Assessing the mental health condition of home-confined university level students of Bangladesh due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AimThe COVID-19 pandemic drove the Government of Bangladesh to shut down educational institutions, which had an enormous effect on the psychological health of students. This study aimed to assess the mental health status of Bangladeshi university students during the lockdown period.Subject and methodsThrough an online-based questionnaire, information was collected from 509 university students of Bangladesh from June 19, 2020, to June 28, 2020, using convenient sampling. K-means clustering was applied to organize students according to their psychological health score, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was also conducted to determine the association among the student’s activities and their mental health during the pandemic. In addition, these associations were examined through chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression.ResultsStudents were categorized into four categories where 4.32% had mild, 72.7% had moderate, 12.57% had moderately severe, and 10.41% suffered from severe mental health imbalance. The results showed that having family members affected by the coronavirus, facing insecurity, using social media, and smoking habits increased the mental health imbalances of students; in contrast, being worried about studying, future career, spending more time with family members, and participation in household chores reduced the mental health disturbances of students. On the other hand, the results of the ordinal logistic regression indicated that sleeping time and participation in household chores were preventive factors for students.ConclusionThis study reveals that a large proportion of University students of Bangladesh suffered from mental health disturbances during the lockdown period. Implementing mental health plans and providing job security, improved communication approaches toward family members, not flattening illusive news, and preoccupation in household activities may assist to enhance the mental health status of the university students. The authors believe that this study’s findings will be helpful to expedite the rate of attaining the sustainable development goal associated with health status in Bangladesh.

The Relationship between Social Media Use and Depression among Nursing Students at Governmental University

Context: Students in the modern world are busy using social media for different purposes and activities. Misuse of social media applications can negatively impact student's psychological health.
 Aim: To determine the relationship between social media use and depression among nursing students in governmental universities. Methods: Descriptive correlational study design was conducted among 267 nursing students in nursing college at a governmental university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using the Social Media Use Integration Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory scale to assess the relationship between depression and social media use among nursing students.
 Results: Social media use among nursing students was high (50.90%) while 31.1% of them was overuse, while depression level was mild among 26% of study participants and there was a statistically significant relation between social media application used, number of hours spent on social media per day, and level of depression among nursing students at the governmental university.
 Conclusions: The collected data analysis revealed a statistically significant positive moderate correlation between used social media and depression among nursing students at the university. Hence, it is essential to establish an educational program through routine checkups for depression levels among nursing students besides arranging for weekly group discussion and consultation to express feelings and thoughts, creating a supportive academic environment.

E-Learning Education System Design

The impact of pandemic COVID-19 is visible in every sector around the world. The educational services of India as well as world are badly affected by this worldwide pandemic.. It has created very bad impact during lockdown as 32 crore students had stopped to go to their learning centres and learning have been started on online mode during the pandemic phase. At the academic level we have seen leaders tackle the COVID-19 emergency from the strategy .The main objective of this paper, are to assess the impact of covid-19 on education sector and to study the psychological health of students also, the effectiveness of E-learning compared with traditional teaching methodology. According to a study conducted on student engagement in online courses at three different universities. level of Academic challenge, Guest Faculty to students , faculty to student interactions, student to faculty interactions, active and collaborative learning, enriching educational experience among others are used as the study’s benchmark. Their research reveals that students view faculty feedback as the most important and frequent type of interaction between student and faculty and those students also acknowledged a learning benefit associated with working in groups.

COVID-19: exploring impacts of the pandemic and lockdown on mental health of Pakistani students.

BackgroundAs of the present, the twenty-first century is experiencing what may be one of its most devastating events, in respect to infected and dead people by the virus. Now known to the world as COVID-19, the devastating disease of what has become a pandemic started its spread from Wuhan, China and swiftly engulfed the whole world with almost 11 million cases, in a span of around six months. It has not only increased the global burden of disease but has heavily dented many social institutions, including education.MethodsThis study investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent measures of lockdown, quarantine, and social distancing have affected students. We look specifically into the effects on individuals’ mental health, that is, the stress and anxiety levels of college and university students using the Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS).ResultsAmong 494 respondents, 61% were females, and the majority (77.3%) of the students were in the age group of 19–25 years. Among the respondents, 125 (25.3%), 45 (9.1%) and 34 (6.9%) experienced minimal to moderate, severe, and most extreme levels of anxiety, respectively. The variables of gender, age and year of study were significant at the 0.25 level by univariate analyses. Nevertheless, the ordinal regression indicates that only gender was significant. The odds of a female student being more anxious are higher compared to a male student (OR = 1.779, 95% CI [1.202–2.634], P = 0.004). The most prominent stressors attained from the qualitative feedback from the Pakistani students are associated with online teaching, concerns about their academic performance and completion of the current semester, uncertainty related to exam dates, and the status of the following semester.ConclusionsThis study will add to the existing body of literature on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social and psychological health of students. The study outcomes will provide basic data for further applied and action research and a framework for universities and policy makers in Pakistan and the neighboring countries in the region with the same cultural contexts. Thus, relevant health interventions can be designed for better mental health and educational attainments of students from higher educational institutions. This pathological pandemic may well lead to another pandemic of mental and behavioral illness. All stakeholders should join force regardless of pre-existing differences and inequalities to ensure the well-being of future generations, specifically students from higher educational institutions. The long-lasting impacts and the aftermath of this pandemic will unquestionably need further and future investigations. Keywords: Anxiety, students, mental health, COVID-19, Pakistan