Impact Of Sars-Cov-2 And Its Reverberation In Global Higher Education And Mental Health. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Araújo, Francisco Jonathan de Oliveira; de Lima, Ligia Samara Abrantes; Cidade, Pedro Ivo Martins; Nobre, Camila Bezerra; Neto, Modesto Leite Rolim
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 288(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Education -- COVID-19 -- Mental Health; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112977
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0165-1781

Abstract

Highlights: UNESCO estimates that the closure of educational institutions because of the pandemic is affecting half of the world's students – 890 million in 114 countries. Although temporary school closures as a result of health crises and other emergencies are not new, the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption are unfortunately unmatched and, if prolonged, may cause psychological pain and suffering at different levels. The outbreak has changed the schedule of conferences and sports events, and institutions are canceling classroom-based classes and converting them to online sessions. Colleges are being forced to consider large-scale preventive measures to keep students and professors healthy as well as to create plans for when infections materialize on campus. By discussing online and distance education, the coronavirus opens an important and urgent issue that affects mental health – these are virtually unexplored topics, and their results have not been validated yet. Abstract: Background: : According to UNESCO's monitoring, more than 160 countries implemented nationwide closures, which impacted over 87% of the world's student population. Several other countries implemented localized school closures; should these closures become nationwide, millions of additional learners will experience education disruption. Universities from around the world have been uncertain about how long the coronavirus crisis will last and how it might affect the mental health of students and faculty. The psychological impact has been a critical disruptor, creating anxiety and uncertainty. Method: : The data were cross-checked with information from the main international newspapers. Results: : By discussing online and distance education, the coronavirus opens an important and urgent issue that affects mental health – these are virtually unexplored topics, and their results have not been validated yet. Online education is not limited to distance education, as it regards a grouping of learning/teaching procedures completed in cyberspace. Blended learning was, thus, introduced as a tool in personalized learning to adjust to new realities. These are unprecedented circumstances, and we understand they create stress, favoring anguish and a fierce search for new knowledge acquisition. Conclusions: : Current research highlights that anxiety and depression, exacerbated by uncertainties and intensification of the information flow, will grow extensively. Negative physiological consequences of stress will manifest. For instance, loneliness, which will increase under these circumstances, seems to have a negative impact on education and, therefore, on psychological pain and suffering.