The effects of Covid-19 and lockdown on mental health on international students from LMIC at the University of Leeds

Abstract

This dissertation studied the effects of Covid-19 and the measures to slow its spread on international students from low and middle-income countries at the University of Leeds. This study is qualitative research, extracting its data mainly from semi-structured interviews. This study recruited 22 participants, 12 males and ten females, all of them above 18, who experienced at least one lockdown in the United Kingdom, came from Low and Middle-income countries and had some sort of mental struggle during Covid. After using thematic analysis to make sense of the data extracted from the interviews, this research categorised the mental issues faced by students into three main types: stress, anxiety, and depression. Almost all participants felt stressed at some point during covid. The participants reported that their stress was caused by feeling homesick during covid, worrying about their financial struggle, and the possible effects of Covid on their studies. Secondly, as participants reported, the anxiety was caused by three things: the shock of the first lockdown, the feeling of loneliness and the possible effects of Covid on their studies. Thirdly, participants who got depressed claimed that their struggles and uncertainty caused depression and worry about the situation's impact on their studies. This dissertation recommends that universities develop more effective communication with students, especially international students and enrich their mental health awareness. This research also suggests that universities should be more considerate with the academic assessment of struggling students. Other than this, universities, as well as governments, should offer more financial support packages for students who are struggling. Finally, universities should provide more mental support programs specialised for international students, especially those coming to the United Kingdom for the first time.