Psychological Effects of the COVID-19-Induced Lockdown 2020 among Educated Adults of Nepal

Authors

  • Pralhad Adhikari TriChandra Campus

Keywords:

Corona virus; quarantine; stress; obsession; adaptation

Abstract

Using diary method, a qualitative research was conducted to know about the feelings, actions and mental processes of the adults during lockdown induced by COVID-19 in 2020. The final dataset had 1800 entries from 30 participants for 20 days during May and June months of 2020. The participants were made write diary in MS Word file with a ‘change tracker’ on. The sampling was non-probability, convenient. NVivo 10 was used to analyze the data. Data have been collected phenomenologically and have been analyzed by content analysis.  Consequently, three themes in emotions were found out: positive emotions, negative emotions and mood swing. Behaviors had three themes: adaptation, entertainment and compulsive behaviors. Mental processes had three themes: attribution, acceptance and cognition. The conclusion is that people have started to adapt to new norms created by the lockdown of COVID-19. Still, they are afraid/anxious about start and spread of disease as they have an obsession. In response, they show compulsive behaviors like seeking news.  They think that government is responsible for the proper handling of crisis. They are angry at people for being careless when they often break the lockdown themselves.

Author Biography

Pralhad Adhikari, TriChandra Campus

Department of Psychology and Philosophy

References

Adhikari, P. (2020). Foundation of Psychology. Asmita Books.
Buzzi, C., Tucci, M., Ciprandi, R., Brambilla, I., Caimmi, S., Ciprandi, G., & Marseglia, G. L. (2020). The psycho-social effects of COVID-19 on Italian adolescents’ attitudes and behaviors. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 46(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-020-00833-4
Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry Research, 287, 112934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934
Di-Renzo, L., Gualtieri, P., Pivari, F., Soldati, L., Attinà, A., Cinelli, G., Leggeri, C., Caparello, G., Barrea, L., Scerbo, F., Esposito, E., & De Lorenzo, A. (2020). Eating habits and lifestyle changes during COVID-19 lockdown: an Italian survey. Journal of Translational Medicine, 18(1), 229. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02399-5
Fegert, J. M., Vitiello, B., Plener, P. L., & Clemens, V. (2020). Challenges and burden of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for child and adolescent mental health: a narrative review to highlight clinical and research needs in the acute phase and the long return to normality. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 14(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-020-00329-3
Fiorillo, A., & Gorwood, P. (2020). The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and implications for clinical practice. 63(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2020.35
Garfin, D. R., Silver, R. C., & Holman, E. A. (2020). The novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) outbreak: Amplification of public health consequences by media exposure. In Health Psychology (Vol. 39, Issue 5, pp. 355–357). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000875
Greenberg, N., Docherty, M., Gnanapragasam, S., & Wessely, S. (2020). Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic. BMJ, 368(m1211). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1211
Heath, C., Sommerfield, A., & von Ungern-Sternberg, B. S. (2020). Resilience strategies to manage psychological distress amongst healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review. Anaesthesia, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15180
Horesh, D., & Brown, A. D. (2020). Traumatic stress in the age of COVID-19: A call to close critical gaps and adapt to new realities. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(4), 331–335. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000592
Li, S., Wang, Y., Xue, J., Zhao, N., & Zhu, T. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 Epidemic Declaration on Psychological Consequences: A Study on Active Weibo Users. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(6), 2032. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062032
Li, W., Yang, Y., Liu, Z.-H., Zhao, Y.-J., Zhang, Q., Zhang, L., Cheung, T., & Xiang, Y.-T. (2020). Progression of Mental Health Services during the COVID-19 Outbreak in China. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 16(10), 1732–1738. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.45120
Liu, X., Luo, W.-T., Li, Y., Li, C.-N., Hong, Z.-S., Chen, H.-L., Xiao, F., & Xia, J.-Y. (2020). Psychological status and behavior changes of the public during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 9(1), 58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-020-00678-3
Margaritis, I., Houdart, S., El Ouadrhiri, Y., Bigard, X., Vuillemin, A., & Duché, P. (2020). How to deal with COVID-19 epidemic-related lockdown physical inactivity and sedentary increase in youth? Adaptation of Anses’ benchmarks. Archives of Public Health, 78(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-020-00432-z
Mayring, P. (2004). Qualitative Content Analysis. In U. Flick, E. von Kardorff, & I. Steinke (Eds.), A Companion to Qualitative Research. Sage Publications.
Otu, A., Charles, C. H., & Yaya, S. (2020). Mental health and psychosocial well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: the invisible elephant in the room. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 14(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-00371-w
Panthi, B., Khanal, P., Dahal, M., Maharjan, S., & Nepal, S. (2020). An urgent call to address the nutritional status of women and children in Nepal during COVID-19 crises. International Journal for Equity in Health, 19(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01210-7
Prime, H., Wade, M., & Browne, D. T. (2020). Risk and resilience in family well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. American Psychologist, No Pagination Specified-No Pagination Specified. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000660
Qiu, J., Shen, B., Zhao, M., Wang, Z., Xie, B., & Xu, Y. (2020). A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. General Psychiatry, 33(2), e100213–e100213. https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213
Roy, D., Tripathy, S., Kar, S. K., Sharma, N., Verma, S. K., & Kaushal, V. (2020). Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 51, 102083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102083
Sibley, C. G., Greaves, L. M., Satherley, N., Wilson, M. S., Overall, N. C., Lee, C. H. J., Milojev, P., Bulbulia, J., Osborne, D., Milfont, T. L., Houkamau, C. A., Duck, I. M., Vickers-Jones, R., & Barlow, F. K. (2020). Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown on trust, attitudes toward government, and well-being. American Psychologist, No Pagination Specified-No Pagination Specified. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000662
Torales, J., O’Higgins, M., Castaldelli-Maia, J. M., & Ventriglio, A. (2020). The outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus and its impact on global mental health. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020915212
Touyz, S., Lacey, H., & Hay, P. (2020). Eating disorders in the time of COVID-19. Journal of Eating Disorders, 8(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-020-00295-3

Downloads

Published

2020-12-14

How to Cite

Adhikari, P. (2020). Psychological Effects of the COVID-19-Induced Lockdown 2020 among Educated Adults of Nepal: Array. New Trends in Psychology, 2(2). Retrieved from https://dj.univ-danubius.ro/index.php/NTP/article/view/579

Issue

Section

Articles