COVID-19 and the Mental Health Crisis Faced by Students From a Private University in the Philippines: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

The focus of this study was the students lived experiences and perspectives of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns. Although there is considerable quantitative evidence that the pandemic significantly strained the general population's mental health, qualitative attempts to explore the psychosocial determinants that could have moderated and mitigated its adverse effects are limited. Based on empirical phenomenological methods of inquiry, this study aimed to provide a more eidetic portrait of the lived experience of the pandemic-induced environment from the perspective of 36 first-year college students from a private university in the Philippines. A thematic analysis of their responses to the online structured written interview surfaced three strands that enabled them to cope, adapt, and even thrive: finding the family, finding faith, and finding meaning. The researchers recommend that youth ministers, positive psychology practitioners, and school guidance counselors enact and implement programs that can strengthen the supportive role of family and religion to enable the youth to respond well to the current pandemic and beyond.