The Psychological Impact of Covid-19 on University Students: Their Expectations of Mental Health Professionals

Abstract

The current study focused on exploring the psychological impact of the COVID -19 outbreak on university students and participants' expectations of mental health professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 80 university students aged 18 to 33 years from 19 cities in Turkey. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify important aspects of the students' experiences. According to the results, the main effects of the epidemic COVID -19 on the participants were depression and anxiety. We found that participants used various ways to cope with COVID -19 such as reading books and paying attention to hygiene. Participants also indicated that they perceived some positive situations, such as the value of nature and humanity, the importance of family, and various negative situations, such as mental exhaustion. Finally, participants stressed that they had different expectations regarding psychosocial support and the planning of individual activities by mental health professionals