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Join on Telegram Rabat – The world is going through a crucial period in its fight against COVID-19, with vaccination rates on the rise and drugs being developed and studied. And while the physiological and socio-economic effects of the virus are an important and worthy topic of debate, many discussions can neglect another important aspect: mental health.
A recent study in the Journal of Psychology and Behavior Studies reveals how the pandemic has mentally affected university students, a particularly vulnerable group of people in Morocco.
COVID anxiety worldwide
Worldwide, the spread of COVID-19 and the necessity of preventative measures such as lockdowns and limiting activity, as well as the economic consequences of such measures on individuals, has led to a noticeable increase in cases of mental health disorders around the globe.
A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) revealed that the average number of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression went from 11% in 2019 to more than 40% in 2021, with more than 30% reporting difficulties in sleeping and eating.
The most obvious explanation for this dramatic hike is it being a direct result of the health effects that people have experienced throughout this period, from people who lost loved ones to the virus, to those that have contracted it themselves.
The preventative measures such as lockdowns can definitely be blamed to some extent, as social and professional lives have been greatly harmed in the process as a result of COVID restrictions.
For many in the KFF’s poll, there were even more consequences for the participants that were more tangible, such as closure of universities and the loss of income that many in vulnerable industries have experienced.
From parents worried about their children’s academic results, essential workers having to expose themselves to risks in a heated climate, to marginalized communities that have experienced the brunt of the virus’s consequences more than others, the point is that the pandemic has left its effects on the lives of people from all backgrounds.
The case of Morocco
A recent study in the Journal of Psychology and Behavior Studies by a group of Moroccan academics specifically explored the mental health effects of the coronavirus on Moroccan university students.
The study surveyed 560 students from five universities on various indicators of declining mental health, such as sleep quality and self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The study reveals that 20% to 30% of students reported moderate to severe symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, correlating heavily with the number of participants who reported annoyance at the pandemic and the measures surrounding it.
Like in other countries, the radical change to the way of life that was forced on these students can be said to have greatly contributed to these symptoms. As university students tend to be some of the most socially active members of any society, having to stay at home at all times was something that the students were not familiar with. According to the study, the pandemic and its accompanying measures brought these students “psychological unrest and annoyance.” The fear of infection and the disease itself is also a contributing factor, as corroborated by previous studies in different regions.
It is also worth paying attention to the indirect effects of this pandemic, as academic performance has been affected for a lot of students, particularly those in rural areas with more difficulty in accessing the tools required to participate in online education.
In most cases, measures to improve these mental health conditions, ranging from new policies to aid groups, have been lacking, with steps to control the spread of the virus being considered more important.
So, what can be done?
It can be hard to try and solve these issues, with the reasons for these problems being so varied and ranging from economic to social and beyond, and especially since mental health services are already underfunded and overlooked.
An obvious first step is to financially support workers and people who are most likely to suffer economic harm from the closure of businesses and industries.
With vaccination campaigns progressing and preventative measures being relaxed, many are hoping that businesses will reopen on a wider scale and that people will be able to go back to work, although many projections and expert opinions are not as optimistic.
For students in particular, the aforementioned study mentions that universities have a responsibility to provide monitoring and assistance services for their students to keep track of these traumatic events and their effects.
It can be also said that the rise in mental health issues is not so much a result of the pandemic, as much as it was the result of the pandemic exacerbating problems that were already prominent in society.
Because of this, the best conclusion might be that it is time to confront mental health issues in a consistent and permanent manner, rather than just trying to apply a band-aid on the effects of the COVID pandemic.
Providing better mental help services through public and private channels, not only during trying times such as this one, but as a consistent and important goal for the far future is the first step in this regard.
A bigger undertaking that will require equally big social change is to remove the social stigma that surrounds openly discussing mental health problems. Morocco’s Ministry of Health for example recently launched a campaign to fight said stigma, which stands in the way of many people seeking the help they need.
Mental health issues are hard to talk about, and they’re even harder to solve. However, if there’s going to be any silver linings to the troubles that this pandemic has brought about, one of them should be a more open discussion of these issues, rather than attempting to sweep them under the rug.
