Nusrat Tasnim, *Kazi Shek Farid
Nusrat Tasnim
Former Master Student, Department of Rural Sociology Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, BangladeshEmail: tasnimnusrat20@gmail.com
*Kazi Shek Farid
Department of Rural Sociology, Bangladesh Agricultural University Mymensingh-2202, BangladeshEmail: ksfarid@bau.edu.bd
Abstract
The devastating outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has been emerged as a global concern inducing daunting challenges to the world. Bangladesh is also going under this exigency situation. Long term existence of the pandemic has overwhelmed the physical, socio-economic, and mental health conditions of the people. The present study explores the challenges of COVID-19 and its subsequent impact on the psychosocial condition of the university students of Bangladesh by applying qualitative approach. Qualitative data were collected through in- depth interviews from the university students using a semi-structured interview guide, which were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings elucidate the prominent challenges responsible for deterioration of psychosocial state of the students arises due to pandemic and portray the students’ personal experience about the impact of this pandemic on their life and psychology. Financial crisis, socio-cultural problems, national and family crisis, domestic violence, virtual communication, fear of death toll, educational crisis, and session-jam have evil dispensation on the mental wellbeing of university students. The impact of these factors is disclosed with loneliness, boredom, anxiety, social media addiction, losing of life, physical disorder, arrogant behavior, depression, suicide, and unusual death etc. It is an exigent need to be aware and conscious about this threatening situation. Effective policy measures including skill development training, entrepreneurial approach, counselling, proper care, religious practices, arranging online seminar and symposium, online based cultural competition, and guidance and motivation of teachers and families should be enacted by the government to combat against this situation.
Keyword: COVID-19 pandemic, university students, challenges, impact, mental condition
KF005