UK higher education staff's mental health and wellbeing during Covid-19 (original) (raw)
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The psychological impact of COVID 19 on students and academics at a Higher Education Institution in the UK, 2021
This study investigated the psychological impact of COVID-19 on students and academics at a Higher Education Institution in the UK. Design We used critical reflective writing where ten students and ten lecturers wrote a short reflection (approximately 200 words) on their experience of the lockdown prior to the study. Inductive Thematic Analysis was selected as the preferred method of investigation to identify, analyse, and report themes from the data set. Main Outcome Measures The specific study aims were: (a) To present an empirical investigation into the psychological impact of COVID-19 (b) To explore the interplay between social isolation and mental health and (c) To examine how the affected individuals understood their experiences. Results The health impact of COVID-19 included both physiological and mental health aspects and it reflected the importance of teacher and student psychological wellbeing for teaching and learning. Conclusion The paper highlights that there is a need for psycho-social crisis prevention and intervention models tailored to support students and academics psychological wellbeing, arguing that considerations be made to adjust expectations from students in relation to progression, and staff in relation to workload.
A Case Study Investigating Mental Wellbeing of University Academics during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Education Sciences
COVID-19 has impacted Higher Education worldwide. While several studies have examined the effects of the pandemic on students, few have addressed its impact on academic staff. Here, we present both survey (n = 89) and interview (n = 12) data highlighting the pandemic-induced effects on academics from various disciplines and career stages. Data was collected between May and September 2020, aiming to capture and understand the immediate effects of the U.K. lockdown on the academics examining demographic and employment factors, digital abilities and confidence, and mental wellbeing. Analyses revealed that most academics were satisfied with the support they received from the university and colleagues, and they had adequate equipment and space at home to work. However, half incurred additional financial costs to maintain access to technology and many felt an altered relationship with the university. There were discrepancies in digital abilities and confidence according to employment stat...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Introduction: COVID-19 restrictions introduced several changes in university academic and social experience. Self-isolation and online teaching have amplified students’ mental health vulnerability. Thus, we aimed to explore feelings and perspectives about the impact of the pandemic on mental health, comparing students from Italy and the UK. Methods: Data were collected from the qualitative portion of “the CAMPUS study”, longitudinally assessing mental health of students at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy) and the University of Surrey (UK). We conducted in-depth interviews and thematically analysed the transcripts. Results: The explanatory model was developed from four themes identified across 33 interviews: anxiety exacerbated by COVID-19; putative mechanisms leading to poor mental health; the most vulnerable subgroups; and coping strategies. Generalised and social anxiety resulted from COVID-19 restrictions by being associated with loneliness, excessive time online, unhealt...
Anxiety among University Staff During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
This study aimed to assess the anxiety level among university staff in Gaza Strip during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study population was 899 staff, 356 of them were academic staff and 543 were administrative staff. A total of 282 participants completed an online survey that included demographic characteristics of the participants and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. Findings from this study revealed that a large number of participants (68.8%) got in direct contact with infected people with COVID-19. Anxiety levels varied amount participants as 41.5% of them experienced mild level of anxiety, 15.6% moderate and 1.8% severe levels of anxiety while 36.2% did not manifest anxiety. Factors that have negative correlation with level of anxiety were age and years of experience (P= 0.01). While factors that have statistically significant differences with the total score included: sex (p = 0.035), having been infected with Corona virus (p = 0.033), having a family member infected with Coronal virus (p = 0.008) and if a friend or a relative died with COVID-19 (p = 0.011). Main recommendation of this study is to reduce psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic and to enhance the resilience and coping strategies of the universities' staff and students as well.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
This study aims to explore the psychological impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related lockdown in university workers, and to analyse the factors related to their levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 8–22 April 2020, 3.5 weeks after the COVID-19-related lockdown in Spain. We collected sociodemographic and occupational data, in addition to housing, work and health conditions. Coping strategies (Brief COPE-28); level of anxiety, stress, and depression (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales DASS-21); perception of the disease (COVID-19) (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire BIPQ); and perceived level of social support (Escala Multidimensional de Apoyo Social EMAS) were measured. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to explore the factors related to the level of anxiety, depression, and stress. The sample included 677 subjects. Higher scores in depression, anxiety, and stress occurred among females, younger subjects, a...
South African Journal of Psychology, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown had a profound effect on human life. This research explores the influence of COVID-19-related experiences on the emotional wellbeing and mental health of South African university students 3 months into the pandemic. Research data were obtained from an online survey completed by 5074 students. Students reported difficulties in coping with psychological challenges during the lockdown: 45.6% and 35.0% reported subjective experiences of anxiety and depression, respectively. Students scored low on the mental health continuum. Hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that some different dimensions predicted emotional difficulties or wellbeing and mental health – confirming the two continuum theory of Keyes. Students’ serious discomfort during lockdown, difficulty adjusting academically and feeling socially isolated contributed most to emotional difficulties. Females, students in their early years of study and students residing in...
Research indicates a long-standing issue of high levels of stress and comorbid mental health difficulties amongst the student population. However, this fails to take into account the complexity of an academic year and the associated fluctuations of stress and mental health difficulties. Furthermore, it is unclear how intentions to seek help translates to actual help-seeking behaviour, highlighted by the prevalence of stress and mental health difficulties. With the unique experience of COVID-19 occurring part-way through the academic year, it is important to ascertain its effects on student well-being, and subsequent help-seeking. This longitudinal, mixed methods study investigated stress and anxiety levels in relation to help-seeking behaviours, through an online survey. Full responses were provided by 127 students across three time points in October 2019, January, and April 2020. The results indicated that students experienced a significant increase in both stress and anxiety from ...