Stress and social isolation-a study of behavioural and attitudinal changes among college students during covid-19

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Social beings need to communicate. They need to interact, they need to share. When things are going well everything is smooth sailing. When there is a deviation to this, ripples are seen. Youngsters are a representative lot of this society, who are used to socializing and hanging out with their peer groups, that when they are suddenly faced with a situation of social isolation and inability to mingle with their friends, is highly unpalatable and impossible for them. With the usual stress activators such as academic tests and exams they now have to face the new stress of forced social isolation. Such situational constraints will inevitably cause psychological, physical, and behavioural problems. Objective: The authors have taken for their study the anxiety felt by a group of students who have been forced into a period of social isolation due to situational demands. Methods: The researchers have identified four clusters of parameters to test the mindset of a select group of students. The four clusters contain questions relating to their mindset regarding missing friends, their understanding of loneliness, the psychological impact resulting from this situation, and the coping strategies they employ to tackle the situation. The test-retest methodology is being followed to analyze the data. Result: The analysis of data proved that prolonged periods of peer deprivation will induce the feeling of loneliness among students. Social isolation will make students suffer unknown fears, affect the sleep patterns of students. Not being able to go out and socialize causes stress among students, however, meditation reduces levels of stress among students. When the young minds are not able to meet up with friends like they used to just a few weeks back, they need to understand their problem is a global problem. The problem has to be tackled not only by individuals but also by governments. Conclusion: We face several challenges which have to be tackled both by the government and by individuals. The authors feel that teachers who have direct contact with the student community are uniquely positioned because of their networking with students almost daily. © IJCRR.