Lockdown: A Focus on Emotions & Coping in Adolescents

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: The COVID lockdown has been the most significant life-changing experience this year.  The sudden implementation of measures such as social distancing, closure of institutions, and restriction of movement may have affected the psychological well-being of adolescents. Keeping this in mind the present exploratory pilot study is an attempt to study and determine the psychological impact on adolescents during the lockdown.

Material and Method: Data was collected from a sample of 461 adolescent respondents aged 14 to 20 years through an online survey

Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation in SPSS version 24

Results: The majority of the study population (85.7%) reported happiness or a relaxed state of mind, and the next common emotion was boredom. Amongst the 69% of participants also conveyed that stressful/negative thoughts, lack of direct contact with friends were the predominant stressor. Coping behaviors highlighted were spending time with family (93.6%), communicating with friends (96.1%), engaging in hobbies (88.7%), talking to relatives (79.6%), studying (72.7%), and exercising (70.9%). In contrast, the majority (73.3%) indulged in excessive sleep or increased usage of social media platforms or apps.

Conclusion: This study is the only survey to document adolescents’ mental health in India during the Covid-19 lockdown. The study highlights that happiness and boredom reflected the young mind of these adolescents, and significantly only one third reported any physical or mental health impact with the lockdown.

Keywords: adolescents, COVID-19, mental health, thoughts, emotions, coping mechanisms