Mental health of Indian young adults during COVID-19

Abstract

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic stands as a global crisis that had severe repercussions on health
and society severely affecting mental health. Certain groups such as young adults were affected on a greater
potency by the closure of educational institutes. Sudden social isolation and disconnectedness fueled affective
and behavioral problems. In this paper, we discuss how COVID-19 has affected vulnerable undergraduate students
in India. The responses were collected using standardized psychometric scales: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Assessment (GAD-7) and Centre for Epidemiological Studies−Depression (CES-D) for generalized anxiety and
Depression respectively, (n = 1,038) from students pursuing bachelor’s degrees from different universities in India.
On comparing the means, we find clinical anxiousness and depressive symptoms among 18.2% (n = 189) and
25.3% (n = 263), respectively. It was found that there was an effect of gender on that led to increased anxiety
and depression levels in higher education students. We also observed that the academic field in which they were
enrolled such as STEM or non-STEM also had an effect on their mental health. Significant depression scores were
found for seniors, juniors, and sophomores in comparison to freshmen, whereas for anxiety we found that seniors
and juniors had higher levels in comparison to freshmen and sophomores. Regression analysis further predicted
that increased anxiety was associated with individuals whose family or friends were diagnosed with COVID-19.
Symptoms of depression were significantly low when people had regular interaction with friends and family and
followed an active lifestyle. The study highlights the prevalence of severe anxiety and heightened depressive
symptoms among students. A pattern of gender difference was observed emphasizing the effect of societal gender
norms. Hence, the study finds that the young adult population of India requires immediate attention to formulate
policies that can mitigate negative developments.