Scarlett Hurst
Key points:
- Studies state that university students aren’t coping during COVID-19
- 25-50% expected spike in suicide due to the pandemic
- UNICEF found that young people are being isolated from loved ones
Before the COVID19 pandemic, mental health issues were already a concern for those studying at university. But as Semester 2 begins, it is predicted that mental health issues will only grow. This is a result of the majority of universities only offering the study mode of online, meaning that most students are forced to continue living at home, away from face to face learning.
It is already predicted that there will be a 25-50 per cent spike in suicides due to the ripple effects of the pandemic. Headspace revealed in a survey recently conducted, that 79 per cent of students were feeling anxious while 75.8 per cent reported to having a low mood, and 83.2 per cent were feeling stressed.
Travis Wettig a second-year Architecture student, is currently studying at the University of Newcastle. He shared his opinions about the ‘new normal’ of online study. Travis is only getting back into somewhat of a routine, resuming work at the local pub after losing his job as a result of the COVID19 restrictions. He is struggling with being able to learn without a set learning timetable.
“I think that it has made it really hard because now I have all of this free time and really, I like a rigid schedule. So now I just wake up and think oh I have all day, so I am just going to chill out and do uni later. Uni is becoming a bigger stress for me.”
Travis Wettig
Many university students such as Travis are feeling more overwhelmed by their studies than ever. It is very difficult for students who are only used to learning face to face to get used to the ‘freedoms’ of online learning.
“If I don’t use this time wisely, I won’t be able to hand in my assignment.”
Travis Wettig
UNICEF Australia conducted research into finding out how young people are coping with the challenges in this new world. They released a fact sheet titled Living In Limbo to help highlight as well as breakdown how COVID19 has and is affecting the younger demographic.
Young people are more affected by the events of COVID-19 than most realise. The way that universities operate will change, the way the workforce is structured will change and it is not known for how long people will be affected by COVID19. It needs to be recognised that students are in the highest risk category for mental health issues and therefore require a higher amount of support.