A Literature Review of Effect of Online Classes on Mental Health this Pandemic

Dale Ros A. Collamat

Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Health Care

Adventist University of the Philippines

Academic Writing

Dr. MICHAEL S. NAIDAS

May 10, 2021

A novel coronavirus, better known as Covid-19, was first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei

Province, China, in 2019. In over 200 countries, this disease has been spreading across the world.

This led to an action by governments to forcibly introduce travel bans and lockdowns to

minimize the spread of illness (Akpınar, 2021). 

This pandemic forced the closure of physical business, sports activities, and schools by

letting all institutions switch to online platforms. Moreover, because of the closure of business &

the restrictions of travels, it greatly affected people's living & working conditions. Even the

world's economy has been remarkably slowly decreasing. The universal availability of covid-19

testing kits and accurate, rapid testing procedures is instrumental in detecting SARS-CoV-2

infection and immunity. Globally even until this day, competition is present in every university,

laboratory, and company in solving this pandemic (Mary et al., 2020).

           This rampant shift to the new normal has greatly influenced students of all age groups.

The spread of disease, restrictions of travel, and the closure of educational institutions worldwide

are expected. They significantly affect education, social life, and student's mental health

(Chaturvedi et al., 2021).

           Hence, circumstances arise, especially to people's mental state of being. It amplifies the

psychological pressure of each individual and unconsciously enters the "stress" state.

Furthermore, it dramatically changes their cognitive, social, and even physical being when

people enter this state. As Mary et al. (2020) say, "If people cannot adapt to the pressure

smoothly and relieve the stress state, the continuous existence of stress will turn into anxiety and

depression, which will cause them to harm to [sic] themselves or others and even affect their

daily life, social intercourse, [sic] and work."

are more prone to pressures from all aspects of life, ranging from their daily practices, schooling,

emotions, and even employment opportunities. Furthermore, Liu, X. et al. (2020) stated that

because of the immaturity of psychological growth and the instability of feelings, psychological

dispute sometimes occurs when facing a chain of physiological, psychological, and social

adaptation problems. Also, students who experience fear, worry, anxiety, and other negative

emotions are more likely to appear in sudden, life-threatening, and uncertain situations because

of the present extreme pandemic condition.

Hence, in connection with these findings, this study explores and assesses teachers' and

students' advantages, disadvantages, challenges, benefits, and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic

on online learning on learners' and lecturers' mental health.

61
Abstract
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wound care and to assess the extent of utilisation of existing evidence by nurses
involved in the management of wounds in practice.
61
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the knowledge and skills of nurses involved
in wound care, to provide a critical overview of the current evidence base underpinning
wound care and to assess the extent of utilization of existing evidence by nurses
involved in the management of wounds in practice.

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was already worldwide awareness that traditional

higher education is severely challenged (Gallagher et al. 2020, p1.). Covid-19 has proven to be a

significant troublesome across the world in regards to human life. In education, because of its

physical restrictions, online learning was adopted. One of the essential findings in Apkinar's

(2021) study is increased mental health concerns among the students. It has been observed that
the distance from peers and lecturers, the lack of knowledge of technology use, the absence of

guidance and counseling, and numerous distractions related to an online platform have attributed

to these health issues. There are also many challenges to students during this pandemic. In the

study of Adedoyin and Soykan (2020), there are several challenges listed: (1) technology, (2)

socio-economic factor, (3) human and pets' intrusion, & (4) assessment and supervision. 

The psychological impacts of students during this pandemic are very rampant. According

to Irawan, A. et al. (2020), "this pandemic carry [sic] not only the risk of death from a viral

infection but also psychological stress for people throughout the world (p54)". The study further

discusses students' psychological conditions, where students are (1) saturated with online

learning and (2) have emotional disorders.

The online platforms, despite being the practical alternative to traditional learning and

have proven that it is the primary source of mental health among students and teachers, online

learning must manage the student-teacher interaction amidst pandemics, continuing academics,

and embrace one's educational development. The pandemic has made a sudden severe change in

the educational system across the globe. With the risk of contagion from COVID-19, the

government is wary of continuing education traditionally and tried shifting education to online

learning despite the situation. Undoubtedly, through the help of technology, online classes would

be a pivotal force to deliver the educational system out of this crisis. Hence, it is necessary to

bridge this gap by undertaking a thorough search through studies and papers for review to gain

informed reflection and critique to draw in new knowledge.

METHODOLOGY

Information Sources
 In identifying sources for this literature review, multiple resources were used. Research

gate, Pubmed, and Google scholar were utilized in searching for possible articles to be used in

this paper. In those three websites, the title of this paper, "Effects of Online Classes on Mental

Health this Pandemic," was used in the search engine and accumulated many kinds of literature

and articles related to this study and was used in this paper.

Inclusion Criteria

This study focused on peer-reviewed publications primarily on the effects of online

learning on the mental health of students this Covid-19 pandemic, not only the effects but also its

benefits and advantages.

RESULTS AND FINDINGS

Challenges

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the education system has become more apparent and

susceptible to external dangers. Adedoyin et al. (2020) noted that this transformation to

technologies came with several challenges and modifications. In the study of Adedoyin et al.

(2020), the student assessment during covid-19 was addressed on how it will not become

unbiased and will be evenhanded in terms of grading policies based on the following: (1)

performance of students, academically might be influenced by economic, racial, and resource

differences, (2) pandemic related anxiety will have adverse effects on student academic

performance, and (3) instructors were not effectively ready to deliver high-quality instruction

remotely.

Technology
 Online education in its totality is dependent on technological devices and internet

connections. With poor internet connections, professors and students are liable to be denied

access to online education. The dependency of online learning on technical equipment and the

provision of the equipment was a big challenge for institutions, faculty, and learners. On online

learning, teachers and students with outdated technological devices might find it hard to meet up

with some technical requirements of online education. An example cited in Adedoyin et al.

(2020) study that a particular learner couldn't install the browser after various tries. It was, later

on, discovered that the learner used an out-of-date device and is incompatible with the browser.

In this research, accessibility problems were also cited. Students found it hard to follow

instructions posted on the course announcement section of programs.

Socio-Economic Factor

In the study of Akpinar (2021), it was cited that if learning tools and resources are

inadequately acquired, it has been shown that it will directly affect the online learning platforms.

This condition is directly attributed to the variations in income and ability to afford computers

and internet connections necessary for fully embracing online learning.

Furthermore, in the study of Aristovnik et al. (2020), it was found that socio-demographic

factors played a vital role in the students' lives with a lower living standard in regards to the

transition from onsite learning to online learning due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Irawan et al. (2020) data findings showed that anxiety in middle and lower economic

families has a greater significance than in middle and upper economic families. So there was a

comparison that online learning is more dominated in the students whose parents have a higher

income than those who come from below-average family income and feel more anxious because
they cannot afford to buy technological equipment. It was showed that those research subjects

who are economically capable have lesser complaints than those of who are financially

incapable.

Human and pets' intrusion

The intrusion of humans and pets is the unexpected interruption or appearance of friends,

members of the family, and or pets that may cause disturbance or disruption of the students'

attention during the online classes. In the study by Adedoyin et al. (2020), an example of this is

when someone's pet, such as dogs, will be barking, or a cat will walk across the table where

online classes are ongoing via videoconference. Son et al. (2020) also found out that many

participants described that Covid-19 has a significant impact on their living conditions. A

majority of these students referred to living with family members as being less independent and

the environment to be more distractive.

Effect: Psychological stress

The leading impediment to academic success is mental health issues. This pandemic that

led to lockdown had severe implications on mental health, resulting in psychological problems

including frustration, stress, and depression among student learners and various affected

populations. Mental illness affects students' concentration, motivation, and social interactions—

critical factors for learners to succeed in their education. To support the above statement, the

study of Baticulon et al. (2020) showed that the pandemic had caused psychological stress

among the students, making it difficult for them to focus on studying. Students expressed

feelings of weariness, anxiety, homesickness, abandonment, hopelessness, and grief.

many psychological problems, such as panic, anxiety, vulnerability, headache, fatigue, blind

conformity, etc. Even after these events, there would be some serious psychological sequelae,

and anxiety and depression are the most common mental disorders among people who have

experienced disasters. Although anxiety and depression are two different emotional symptoms,

anxiety is often combined with depression. Both of them are complex negative emotions that

affect people's health. A recent review of virus outbreaks and pandemics documented stressors

such as infection fears, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information,

financial loss, and stigma (Son, 2020).

Limitations

The students interviewed in the study of Shetty et al. (2020) gave feedback that when

they use mobile on accessing online classes was sometimes disturbing, as they feel the urge to

check their social media accounts, access their messages, answer calls which sometimes leads to

loss of interest and attentiveness during online classes. Like in conventional learning, face-to-

face interactions motivate students to learn, have better student and teacher interactions, and,

most importantly, a feeling of togetherness in understanding and sharing opinions. Several of

these aspects lack in online education.

Mukhtar et al. (2020) also stated in the study that faculty members and students said that

they could not teach and learn practical and clinical work through online learning modalities.

They could only teach and assess knowledge components. Due to a lack of immediate feedback,

teachers could not evaluate students' understanding during online lecturing. The students also

reported that their attention span is limited, and the resource-intensive nature of online learning
is limited. Some teachers also mentioned that during the online classes, students misbehaved and

tried to access online resources during assessments.

Benefits

Learning online also has some of its advantages. The study of Adedoyin et al. (2020)

showed benefits such as, but not limited to, flexibility, self-pacing, interactivity, and

opportunities, to overcome the widespread of Covid-19 and can maintain the academic calendar.

In addition, not all social interactions are positive. At the same time, a school is a place

for teens to socialize and form friendships, anyone can be a victim of bullying at school. In

connection with the above statement, Baticulon et al. (2020) showed that for several students,

being around family and home, particularly during the pandemic and lockdown, can provide

feelings of reassurance and safety, their home can become a safe learning environment where

they feel most productive. For these students, online learning offers an escape from anxiety

caused by the fear of being bullied and depression. For some students, online learning can also

provide a break out from the never-ending weight of peer pressure.

Also in online learning, it creates a good platform for obtaining new ways of learning

with lesser apprehension among students in clearing their doubts, ease of participation, good

coverage and knowledge on the topic by using 3D animations, less time investment, and easy

availability of the resources to study the topics discussed through the online portal (Shetty,

2020).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the lives of masses of people worldwide in the

period of just a few months, including higher education students, and brought a negative impact
on students. In general, while online learning can be deliberately a lifesaver regarding the

continuity of sustaining education, a practical stop-gap solution during this epidemic, it has its

fair share of deterrents that have proved to be a significant source of mental health issues among

students as most of the students are not satisfied with it. If continued, it will negatively impact

student's education and mental health. In the studies above, it was found out that the perception

of a relatively higher workload and the lack of computer skills prevented students from

perceiving a higher performance while adapting to the new normal in education from a distance.

The lockdown also made the students primarily raised concerns about their study issues and were

mainly bored, anxious, and frustrated. The implications of this are both deep and wide as

students are a unique group of people who are just starting their life but are already mentally

fractured brought on by the same system that should state their mental capacities to become

productive citizens and fulfilled human beings.

In conclusion, there is a psychological impact of students on online learning during the

pandemic, with students who become bored with online learning from home, with considerably

high anxiety on students whose parents have low income, as they have to make sure to buy the

materials needed to take part in online classes. When students faced public health emergencies,

their mental health is greatly affected, and they need help, attention, and support from the family,

community, and tertiary institutions.

Furthermore, this study identified a significant mental health burden of the public due to

the long-lasting pandemic situation and arduous actions taken such as lockdown and stay-at-

home orders. Young people who spent too much time, abnormally, in lockdown, are at high risk

of developing psychological issues. The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms was
found to be high in college students. Alleviating the dangerous effects of COVID-19 on mental

health is an international public health priority.

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