COVID-19 and Mental Health of Indian Youth: Association with Background Variables and Stress

Title

COVID-19 and Mental Health of Indian Youth: Association with Background Variables and Stress

Creator

Deb S.; Dorji N.; Sunny A.M.; Deb S.

Description

The coronavirus has become a public health concern of the decade, affecting the economic, social, and psychological stability of the whole world. Having understood the detrimental impact of the pandemic to the mental health of people of all age groups, youth is understood to be the most vulnerable population who receives its direct impact. The broad objective was to study the mental health status of Indian youth and its association with various demographic variables. Psychological stress and mental health was another relationship that was explored. A group of 317 participants between the age group of 19 to 29 voluntarily took part in the online survey. Gender was found to be associated with overall mental health status (p < 0.01) as well its correlates, namely anxiety (p < 0.05), depression (p < 0.05), and loss of behavioral control (p < 0.01). Association between age and loss of positive affect (p < 0.05), number of siblings and loss of behavioral control (p < 0.01), and family environment and overall mental health scores (p < 0.001) were found. Similarly, feeling of restlessness during lockdown (p < 0.001), availability of support (p < 0.001), and feeling the need to consult a mental health professional were associated with the overall mental health score as well as all its sub-scales. Further, there were strong negative correlations between psychological stress and overall mental health scores, as well as that of anxiety, depression, and loss of behavioral control and positive affect sub-scales. The study highlighted the need for psychological support services for the youth population of the country to cope with and adapt to the new situation. The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Taylor and Francis Pte Ltd. 2022.

Source

Handbook of Health and Well-Being: Challenges, Strategies and Future Trends, pp. 357-373.

Date

2022-01-01

Publisher

Springer Nature

Subject

Demographic variables: COVID-19; India; Mental health; Stress; Youth

Coverage

Deb S., Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Government of India, Chennai, India; Dorji N., Faculty of Nursing and Public Health (FNPH), Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan; Sunny A.M., Department of Applied Psychology, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Government of India, Chennai, India; Deb S., Department of Psychology, CHRIST (Deemed To Be University), Bengaluru, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISBN: 978-981168263-6; 978-981168262-9

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Book chapter

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8263-6_15

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85160486704&doi=10.1007%2f978-981-16-8263-6_15&partnerID=40&md5=15ee774e3e5c3d98986373e0e092d79f