what is the thesis statement of covid 19 pandemic

Paper 2: Working Thesis Statement

For class Wednesday, 2 March, please post the following in a comment to this message:

A brief statement of the subject for your paper
Two potential thesis statements for your paper. (You can find information about writing a strong thesis statement in the OWL at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html

If you have not done so already, please be sure to email me your homework for Monday’s class (a statement of your topic, why you are interested in it, and two or three sources on this topic).

10 Responses to Paper 2: Working Thesis Statement

John Tommasi Video gaming during the pandemic

The gaming industry’s success during the pandemic is due to its synchronicity with remote technology as well as changing consumer lifestyles.

Increased video gaming during the pandemic is a result of personal stress and a desire to safely interact with others.

Jeff Cheung

Music-making/performing during the pandemic.

By stripping away the chances for people to listen and make music together, COVID-19 strengthened the power of music as there is an increased demand for it. Many people realized that in times of uncertainty and darkness, music uplifts and heals.

There are classically trained musicians who devoted decades of arduous work studying in conservatories to make a living just for COVID-19 to strip that away from them. As a result, many of them are left without their livelihoods and are struggling to make ends meet.

Uzay Poyraz

How did the pandemic affect the nightlife sector in France?

2 Working thesis statement:

Although the normalization of the pandemic aids in the revival of the nightlife scene in France, the effects of the pandemic indefinitely limit the rebound to what it was before the pandemic.

Although the reducing effects of the pandemic allow France’s nightlife scene to become active again, many underlying reasons limit a return to the before-pandemic state.

Revised thesis: Although COVID-19 took away many opportunities for live classical music collaboration and performance, technological innovations on remote music-making in addition to platforms such as Zoom and YouTube resulted in a digital cultural shift that made classical music much more accessible to the masses.

Consuming Video Media during the pandemic

Throughout the pandemic, the way our culture consumes content has changed and is still on the verge of changing to a new post-pandemic style. The pandemic made theaters close their doors for nearly a year pushing everyone else to find ways to entertain themselves indoors more often causing a rise in the usage of streaming services, direct to streaming movies, and the emergence of releasing movies in both streaming and theater formats.

One of the cultural changes caused by the pandemic was that we watched more movies and shows at home because movie theaters had closed. Movie companies had to adapt and figure out ways to best take advantage of this by releasing movies straight to their streaming services and a year into the pandemic releasing movies both in theaters and the streaming services. There was also the explosion of streaming shows such as Netflix’s Tiger King and Disney+ WandaVision which showed that people are into the streaming format.

Dominick Sannino Essential workers

The COVID-19 pandemic has left few aspects of our society untouched, rapidly shifting our culture in ways unimaginable to those living in a pre pandemic world. Arguably one of the most positive changes in American culture during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rise in public appreciation for blue collar and service industry workers. While at face value the name “essential worker” may seem only like a symbolic change in how the public views the working class, this new title in many ways reflects larger shifts in public attitude and treatment of workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left few aspects of our society untouched, rapidly shifting our culture in ways unimaginable to those living in a pre pandemic world. Arguably one of the most positive changes in American culture during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the growth of the workers rights movement. Recent increases in unionization and a demand for higher wages has begun to shift workers’ opinion about their role in society and the workplace. This growing demand for better working and living conditions may be one of the most impactful cultural marks left by the pandemic.

Emma Laquinta How has the pandemic influenced our interaction(s) with medical professionals? How has the increased reliance on telemedicine?

1. The COVID-19 Pandemic has forever changed the landscape of medical practice, though it is unclear whether shifts to telemedicine, rapidly changing legislature, and increased media coverage of this industry will positively impact the future of American medicine.

2. While the COVID-19 Pandemic has undoubtedly advanced the rise of telemedicine as the predominant communication method between patients and medical providers, this shift has the potential to do more harm than good in the medical industry.

Nicholas Flecha

Interest in the stock market during the pandemic.

The pandemic caused many people, primarily middle-class, to develop an interest into the stock market and investing as a whole.

The stock market gained a larger audience of interested middle-class people as a result of the pandemic.

Binge watching

Given the bleak context, we can examine binge watching tv shows in a new light. The near universality of binge watching shows in the US during COVID 19 is a representation of culture during the pandemic.

The near vegetable states of those at home deprived them of a story, a narrative, and a purpose. The shows once seemed like x hours of waste then enthralled us. The shows created a new world, they simulated a life that we would rather pay attention to than the lack of motion in front of the computer screen, which was very common for many.

How to Write About Coronavirus in a College Essay

Students can share how they navigated life during the coronavirus pandemic in a full-length essay or an optional supplement.

Writing About COVID-19 in College Essays

Serious disabled woman concentrating on her work she sitting at her workplace and working on computer at office

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Experts say students should be honest and not limit themselves to merely their experiences with the pandemic.

The global impact of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, means colleges and prospective students alike are in for an admissions cycle like no other. Both face unprecedented challenges and questions as they grapple with their respective futures amid the ongoing fallout of the pandemic.

Colleges must examine applicants without the aid of standardized test scores for many – a factor that prompted many schools to go test-optional for now . Even grades, a significant component of a college application, may be hard to interpret with some high schools adopting pass-fail classes last spring due to the pandemic. Major college admissions factors are suddenly skewed.

"I can't help but think other (admissions) factors are going to matter more," says Ethan Sawyer, founder of the College Essay Guy, a website that offers free and paid essay-writing resources.

College essays and letters of recommendation , Sawyer says, are likely to carry more weight than ever in this admissions cycle. And many essays will likely focus on how the pandemic shaped students' lives throughout an often tumultuous 2020.

But before writing a college essay focused on the coronavirus, students should explore whether it's the best topic for them.

Writing About COVID-19 for a College Application

Much of daily life has been colored by the coronavirus. Virtual learning is the norm at many colleges and high schools, many extracurriculars have vanished and social lives have stalled for students complying with measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

"For some young people, the pandemic took away what they envisioned as their senior year," says Robert Alexander, dean of admissions, financial aid and enrollment management at the University of Rochester in New York. "Maybe that's a spot on a varsity athletic team or the lead role in the fall play. And it's OK for them to mourn what should have been and what they feel like they lost, but more important is how are they making the most of the opportunities they do have?"

That question, Alexander says, is what colleges want answered if students choose to address COVID-19 in their college essay.

But the question of whether a student should write about the coronavirus is tricky. The answer depends largely on the student.

"In general, I don't think students should write about COVID-19 in their main personal statement for their application," Robin Miller, master college admissions counselor at IvyWise, a college counseling company, wrote in an email.

"Certainly, there may be exceptions to this based on a student's individual experience, but since the personal essay is the main place in the application where the student can really allow their voice to be heard and share insight into who they are as an individual, there are likely many other topics they can choose to write about that are more distinctive and unique than COVID-19," Miller says.

Opinions among admissions experts vary on whether to write about the likely popular topic of the pandemic.

"If your essay communicates something positive, unique, and compelling about you in an interesting and eloquent way, go for it," Carolyn Pippen, principal college admissions counselor at IvyWise, wrote in an email. She adds that students shouldn't be dissuaded from writing about a topic merely because it's common, noting that "topics are bound to repeat, no matter how hard we try to avoid it."

Above all, she urges honesty.

"If your experience within the context of the pandemic has been truly unique, then write about that experience, and the standing out will take care of itself," Pippen says. "If your experience has been generally the same as most other students in your context, then trying to find a unique angle can easily cross the line into exploiting a tragedy, or at least appearing as though you have."

But focusing entirely on the pandemic can limit a student to a single story and narrow who they are in an application, Sawyer says. "There are so many wonderful possibilities for what you can say about yourself outside of your experience within the pandemic."

He notes that passions, strengths, career interests and personal identity are among the multitude of essay topic options available to applicants and encourages them to probe their values to help determine the topic that matters most to them – and write about it.

That doesn't mean the pandemic experience has to be ignored if applicants feel the need to write about it.

Writing About Coronavirus in Main and Supplemental Essays

Students can choose to write a full-length college essay on the coronavirus or summarize their experience in a shorter form.

To help students explain how the pandemic affected them, The Common App has added an optional section to address this topic. Applicants have 250 words to describe their pandemic experience and the personal and academic impact of COVID-19.

"That's not a trick question, and there's no right or wrong answer," Alexander says. Colleges want to know, he adds, how students navigated the pandemic, how they prioritized their time, what responsibilities they took on and what they learned along the way.

If students can distill all of the above information into 250 words, there's likely no need to write about it in a full-length college essay, experts say. And applicants whose lives were not heavily altered by the pandemic may even choose to skip the optional COVID-19 question.

"This space is best used to discuss hardship and/or significant challenges that the student and/or the student's family experienced as a result of COVID-19 and how they have responded to those difficulties," Miller notes. Using the section to acknowledge a lack of impact, she adds, "could be perceived as trite and lacking insight, despite the good intentions of the applicant."

To guard against this lack of awareness, Sawyer encourages students to tap someone they trust to review their writing , whether it's the 250-word Common App response or the full-length essay.

Experts tend to agree that the short-form approach to this as an essay topic works better, but there are exceptions. And if a student does have a coronavirus story that he or she feels must be told, Alexander encourages the writer to be authentic in the essay.

"My advice for an essay about COVID-19 is the same as my advice about an essay for any topic – and that is, don't write what you think we want to read or hear," Alexander says. "Write what really changed you and that story that now is yours and yours alone to tell."

Sawyer urges students to ask themselves, "What's the sentence that only I can write?" He also encourages students to remember that the pandemic is only a chapter of their lives and not the whole book.

Miller, who cautions against writing a full-length essay on the coronavirus, says that if students choose to do so they should have a conversation with their high school counselor about whether that's the right move. And if students choose to proceed with COVID-19 as a topic, she says they need to be clear, detailed and insightful about what they learned and how they adapted along the way.

"Approaching the essay in this manner will provide important balance while demonstrating personal growth and vulnerability," Miller says.

Pippen encourages students to remember that they are in an unprecedented time for college admissions.

"It is important to keep in mind with all of these (admission) factors that no colleges have ever had to consider them this way in the selection process, if at all," Pippen says. "They have had very little time to calibrate their evaluations of different application components within their offices, let alone across institutions. This means that colleges will all be handling the admissions process a little bit differently, and their approaches may even evolve over the course of the admissions cycle."

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Thesis Submission Guidance: COVID-19 Impact Statement

In response to the impact of the global pandemic, we’re giving you the option to include a statement at the start of your thesis which outlines the effects that COVID-19 may have had on the research that you have undertaken towards your doctoral degree.

The inclusion of a statement is to facilitate the reader’s awareness, both now and in the future, that the pandemic may have had an effect on the scope, direction and presentation of the research.

The academic standards and quality threshold for the award remains unchanged. Where statements are included, you should be reassured that this is not evidencing a lack of original research or intellectual rigour.

If you decide to include one such statement, it should appear on the first page of the thesis, after the cover page, and be titled ‘Impact of COVID-19’. The statement should not exceed 1000 words and will not count towards the total thesis word count.

Examples of potential areas for consideration and comment when developing your impact statement are below. However, you should discuss the content of the statement with your supervisor before submission:

Details on how disruption caused by COVID-19 has impacted the research (for example, an inability to conduct face to face research, an inability to collect/analyse data as a result of travel constraints, or restricted access to labs or other working spaces).
A description of how the planned work would have fitted within the thesis narrative (e.g., through method development, expansion of analytical skills or advancement of hypotheses).
A summary of any decisions / actions taken to mitigate for any work or data collection/analyses that were prevented by COVID-19.
Highlighting new research questions and developments, emphasising the work that has been undertaken in pivoting or adjusting the project.

You are reminded of the public nature of the published thesis and the longevity of any such included statements about the impact of the pandemic. You are advised to take a cautious approach as to the insertion of any personal information in these statements.

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Writing a thesis during a pandemic: 4 Lessons

As I enter the last 2 months of my PhD and prepare to hand in my thesis (as you read this I will be editing my final draft) it’s hard not to reflect on the ups and downs of the last 4 years. These last few months have been the hardest; I have been forced to piece together 3 chapters using half-finished data and fill in the gaps as best I can. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic I lost a total of 6 months of lab time and during the last 10 months, I have only had partial access to the lab. All of this has been mentally taxing, and I know I’m not the only one who has suffered.

As I reflect on my time as a PhD student I can’t help but evaluate how I think I performed and handled events. As I write up my thesis and do some self-reflection there are a few ideas that keep cropping up, and make me think “I wish I had known that earlier.” Even so I can’t help but think that even if someone had told me these things earlier I wouldn’t have listened; sometimes you have to live through something to learn from it. Either way, to those who are either just starting their PhD or are starting to write their own thesis, here are some tips that writing my thesis has taught me.

95% of things are out of your control

The pandemic put a stop to lots of things; weddings were postponed, visits with family cancelled, and, worst of all, mourning loved ones was put on hold. In the modern age we like to imagine we have control over the world – in reality, we still control very little of what happens to us. During any PhD, unforeseen circumstances will prevent you from doing what you planned; broken equipment, unreliable collaborators, or a shortage of key materials – and that’s on a good day. At the start of my PhD, I assumed I would control what went into my thesis and how good the final product would be. Then comes a global pandemic that halts my ability to gather data (no lab = no experiments). It’s hard to accept but fortune has a habit of doing what it wants. This means it’s up to you to focus on the little you do control. Get upset and angry but then, once that initial reaction passes, figure out what you control and where you can put your energy so it can actually make an impact.

Be the tortoise, not the hare

Writing can be an incredibly dull process, especially in science. You might spend 2 hours reading publications from the last decade only to write two sentences. It can feel like wading through quicksand. The trick is not to put too much pressure on yourself; easier said than done, I know. But when you’re writing any large body of work (the average PhD thesis is 100+ pages) you have to accept that you can’t cram it all in the week before the deadline. Instead, set small goals and set them early. The goal isn’t to write a 100-page masterpiece, the goal is to write 100 words today for 3 months. When we first went into lockdown this was the goal I set for myself. Some days I wrote more, but I always made sure that I wrote 100 words a day. Any progress is progress, no matter how small. Find a goal you can achieve each day and do it.

Guard your time

When the lab eventually reopened (at 50% capacity) writing fell to the bottom of my priority list. It was replaced with lab time, experimental planning, and data analysis. I have realised that this was a huge mistake and I was ignoring my own advice; rather than doing a little every day I did no writing for weeks. As my deadline began to loom closer I realised I needed to re-dedicate time each day to writing. I had to say to push back against my supervisor who wanted me in the lab all day every day that “I’m going to be spending less time in the lab, so I can spend more time writing – sorry.” If you have a thesis to submit writing is as much a priority as lab work. Set some time aside each day or each week, whatever works for you, and spend it dedicated to writing.

Never underestimate the power of editing

Anyone can write words on a page, but telling a good story – that is a challenge. If you want your writing to be more than just words on a page then editing is your best friend. Some people will say the only important part of a thesis is the data. But if the story around the data, how you got it, what it means, why it’s important, is bad then what use is the data? That’s what a thesis does – tells your examiners the story of your PhD. To make that story the best it can be you’re going to need to do a lot of editing, not just for spelling and grammar, but getting the flow and structure right. This has been especially important for me; thanks to the pandemic my data is a bit thin so I need to make sure the story I tell is impressive. As a rule I try to accomplish two full edits of any work I write, depending on time. I also recommend getting friends and family to read your work (you may need to bribe them if they hate science) to spot any obvious mistakes that you will no doubt have missed.

These are just some of the ideas that I have kept in mind when writing up my thesis over the last few months. I hope there is something here you can use when it’s your turn to write up (and hopefully you won’t be doing it during a global pandemic).

Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash under Unsplash License

Steve is currently a member of the EPSRC CDT in Advanced Therapeutics and Nanomedicines at the University of Nottingham. He uses bioelectronics to design new treatments and diagnostic devices. When he's away from the lab he can usually be found lost in the woods or up a mountain. Twitter: @Steve_Gibney

The challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the way people deal with them. A qualitative longitudinal study

Contributed equally to this work with: Dominika Maison, Diana Jaworska, Dominika Adamczyk, Daria Affeltowicz

Roles Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Roles Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology

Dominika Maison,
Diana Jaworska,
Dominika Adamczyk,
Daria Affeltowicz

Published: October 11, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258133
Peer Review
Reader Comments

The conducted qualitative research was aimed at capturing the biggest challenges related to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews were carried out in March-June (five stages of the research) and in October (the 6 th stage of the research). A total of 115 in-depth individual interviews were conducted online with 20 respondents, in 6 stages. The results of the analysis showed that for all respondents the greatest challenges and the source of the greatest suffering were: a) limitation of direct contact with people; b) restrictions on movement and travel; c) necessary changes in active lifestyle; d) boredom and monotony; and e) uncertainty about the future.

Citation: Maison D, Jaworska D, Adamczyk D, Affeltowicz D (2021) The challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the way people deal with them. A qualitative longitudinal study. PLoS ONE 16(10): e0258133. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258133

Editor: Shah Md Atiqul Haq, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, BANGLADESH

Received: April 6, 2021; Accepted: September 18, 2021; Published: October 11, 2021

Copyright: © 2021 Maison et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files ( S1 Dataset ).

Funding: This work was supported by the Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Poland from the funds awarded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in the form of a subsidy for the maintenance and development of research potential in 2020 (501-D125-01-1250000). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), discovered in December 2019 in China, has reached the level of a pandemic and, till June 2021, it has affected more than 171 million people worldwide and caused more than 3.5 million deaths all over the world [ 1 ]. The COVID-19 pandemic as a major health crisis has caught the attention of many researchers, which has led to the creation of a broad quantitative picture of human behavior during the coronavirus outbreak [ 2 – 4 ]. What has been established so far is, among others, the psychological symptoms that can occur as a result of lockdown [ 2 ], and the most common coping strategies [ 5 ]. However, what we still miss is an in-depth understanding of the changes in the ways of coping with challenges over different stages of the pandemic. In the following study, we used a longitudinal qualitative method to investigate the challenges during the different waves of the coronavirus pandemic as well as the coping mechanisms accompanying them.

In Poland, the first patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 on the 4 th March 2020. Since then, the number of confirmed cases has grown to more than 2.8 million and the number of deaths to more than 73,000 (June 2021) [ 1 ]. From mid-March 2020, the Polish government, similarly to many other countries, began to introduce a number of restrictions to limit the spread of the virus. These restrictions had been changing from week to week, causing diverse reactions in people [ 6 ]. It needs to be noted that the reactions to such a dynamic situation cannot be covered by a single study. Therefore, in our study we used qualitative longitudinal research in order to monitor changes in people’s emotions, attitudes, and behavior. So far, few longitudinal studies have been carried out that investigated the various issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, all of them were quantitative [ 7 – 10 ]. The qualitative approach (and especially the use of enabling and projective techniques) allows for an in-depth exploration of respondents’ reactions that goes beyond respondents’ declarations and captures what they are less aware of or even unconscious of. This study consisted of six stages of interviews that were conducted at key moments for the development of the pandemic situation in Poland. The first stage of the study was carried out at the moment of the most severe lockdown and the biggest restrictions (March 2020) and was focused on exploration how did people react to the new uncertain situation. The second stage of the study was conducted at the time when restrictions were extended and the obligation to cover the mouth and nose everywhere outside the household were introduced (middle of April 2020) and was focused at the way how did people deal with the lack of family gatherings over Easter. The third stage of the study was conducted at the moment of announcing the four stages of lifting the restrictions (April 2020) and was focused on people’s reaction to an emerging vision of getting back to normalcy. The fourth stage of the study was carried out, after the introduction of the second stage of lifting the restrictions: shopping malls, hotels, and cultural institutions were gradually being opened (May 2020). The fifth stage of the study was conducted after all four stages of restriction lifting were in place (June 2020). Only the obligation to cover the mouth and nose in public spaces, an order to maintain social distance, as well as the functioning of public places under a sanitary regime were still in effect. During those 5 stages coping strategies with the changes in restrictions were explored. The sixth and last stage of the study was a return to the respondents after a longer break, at the turn of October and November 2020, when the number of coronavirus cases in Poland began to increase rapidly and the media declared “the second wave of the pandemic”. It was the moment when the restrictions were gradually being reintroduced. A full description of the changes occurring in Poland at the time of the study can be found in S1 Table .

The following study is the first qualitative longitudinal study investigating how people cope with the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic at its different stages. The study, although conducted in Poland, shows the universal psychological relations between the challenges posed by the pandemic (and, even more, the restrictions resulting from the pandemic, which were very similar across different countries, not only European) and the ways of dealing with them.

Literature review

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global health crisis with severe economic [ 11 ], social [ 3 ], and psychological consequences [ 4 ]. Despite the fact that there were multiple crises in recent years, such as natural disasters, economic crises, and even epidemics, the coronavirus pandemic is the first in 100 years to severely affect the entire world. The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic concern an impending global recession caused by the lockdown of non-essential industries and the disruption of production and supply chains [ 11 ]. Social consequences may be visible in many areas, such as the rise in family violence [ 3 ], the ineffectiveness of remote education, and increased food insecurity among impoverished families due to school closures [ 12 ]. According to some experts, the psychological consequences of COVID-19 are the ones that may persist for the longest and lead to a global mental health crisis [ 13 ]. The coronavirus outbreak is generating increased depressive symptoms, stress, anxiety, insomnia, denial, fear, and anger all over the world [ 2 , 14 ]. The economic, social, and psychological problems that people are currently facing are the consequences of novel challenges that have been posed by the pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak is a novel, uncharted situation that has shaken the world and completely changed the everyday lives of many individuals. Due to the social distancing policy, many people have switched to remote work—in Poland, almost 75% of white-collar workers were fully or partially working from home from mid-March until the end of May 2020 [ 15 ]. School closures and remote learning imposed a new obligation on parents of supervising education, especially with younger children [ 16 ]. What is more, the government order of self-isolation forced people to spend almost all their time at home and limit or completely abandon human encounters. In addition, the deteriorating economic situation was the cause of financial hardship for many people. All these difficulties and challenges arose in the aura of a new, contagious disease with unexplored, long-lasting health effects and not fully known infectivity and lethality [ 17 ]. Dealing with the situation was not facilitated by the phenomenon of global misinformation, called by some experts as the “infodemic”, which may be defined as an overabundance of information that makes it difficult for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance [ 18 ]. Studies have shown that people have multiple ways of reacting to a crisis: from radical and even violent practices, towards individual solutions and depression [ 19 ]. Not only the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic but also the ways of reacting to it and coping with it are issues of paramount importance that are worth investigating.

The reactions to unusual crisis situations may be dependent on dispositional factors, such as trait anxiety or perceived control [ 20 , 21 ]. A study on reactions to Hurricane Hugo has shown that people with higher trait anxiety are more likely to develop posttraumatic symptoms following a natural disaster [ 20 ]. Moreover, lack of perceived control was shown to be positively related to the level of distress during an earthquake in Turkey [ 21 ]. According to some researchers, the COVID-19 crisis and natural disasters have much in common, as the emotions and behavior they cause are based on the same primal human emotion—fear [ 22 ]. Both pandemics and natural disasters disrupt people’s everyday lives and may have severe economic, social and psychological consequences [ 23 ]. However, despite many similarities to natural disasters, COVID-19 is a unique situation—only in 2020, the current pandemic has taken more lives than the world’s combined natural disasters in any of the past twenty years [ 24 ]. It needs to be noted that natural disasters may pose different challenges than health crises and for this reason, they may provoke disparate reactions [ 25 ]. Research on the reactions to former epidemics has shown that avoidance and safety behaviors, such as avoiding going out, visiting crowded places, and visiting hospitals, are widespread at such times [ 26 ]. When it comes to the ways of dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic, a substantial part of the quantitative research on this issue focuses on coping mechanisms. Studies have shown that the most prevalent coping strategies are highly problem-focused [ 5 ]. Most people tend to listen to expert advice and behave calmly and appropriately in the face of the coronavirus outbreak [ 5 ]. Problem-focused coping is particularly characteristic of healthcare professionals. A study on Chinese nurses has shown that the closer the problem is to the person and the more fear it evokes, the more problem-focused coping strategy is used to deal with it [ 27 ]. On the other hand, a negative coping style that entails risky or aggressive behaviors, such as drug or alcohol use, is also used to deal with the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic [ 28 ]. The factors that are correlated with negative coping include coronavirus anxiety, impairment, and suicidal ideation [ 28 ]. It is worth emphasizing that social support is a very important component of dealing with crises [ 29 ].

Scientists have attempted to systematize the reactions to difficult and unusual situations. One such concept is the “3 Cs” model created by Reich [ 30 ]. It accounts for the general rules of resilience in situations of stress caused by crises, such as natural disasters. The 3 Cs stand for: control (a belief that personal resources can be accessed to achieve valued goals), coherence (the human desire to make meaning of the world), and connectedness (the need for human contact and support) [ 30 ]. Polizzi and colleagues [ 22 ] reviewed this model from the perspective of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The authors claim that natural disasters and COVID-19 pandemic have much in common and therefore, the principles of resilience in natural disaster situations can also be used in the situation of the current pandemic [ 22 ]. They propose a set of coping behaviors that could be useful in times of the coronavirus outbreak, which include control (e.g., planning activities for each day, getting adequate sleep, limiting exposure to the news, and helping others), coherence (e.g., mindfulness and developing a coherent narrative on the event), and connectedness (e.g., establishing new relationships and caring for existing social bonds) [ 22 ].

Current study

The issue of the challenges arising from the current COVID-19 pandemic and the ways of coping with them is complex and many feelings accompanying these experiences may be unconscious and difficult to verbalize. Therefore, in order to explore and understand it deeply, qualitative methodology was applied. Although there were few qualitative studies on the reaction to the pandemic [e.g., 31 – 33 ], they did not capture the perception of the challenges and their changes that arise as the pandemic develops. Since the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic is very dynamic, the reactions to the various restrictions, orders or bans are evolving. Therefore, it was decided to conduct a qualitative longitudinal study with multiple interviews with the same respondents [ 34 ].

The study investigates the challenges arising from the current pandemic and the way people deal with them. The main aim of the project was to capture people’s reactions to the unusual and unexpected situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the project was largely exploratory in nature. Interviews with the participants at different stages of the epidemic allowed us to see a wide spectrum of problems and ways of dealing with them. The conducted study had three main research questions:

What are the biggest challenges connected to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions?
How are people dealing with the pandemic challenges?
What are the ways of coping with the restrictions resulting from a pandemic change as it continues and develops (perspective of first 6 months)?

The study was approved by the institutional review board of the Faculty of Psychology University of Warsaw, Poland. All participants were provided written and oral information about the study, which included that participation was voluntary, that it was possible to withdraw without any consequences at any time, and the precautions that would be taken to protect data confidentiality. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. To ensure confidentiality, quotes are presented only with gender, age, and family status.

The study was based on qualitative methodology: individual in-depth interviews, s which are the appropriate to approach a new and unknown and multithreaded topic which, at the beginning of 2020, was the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the need to observe respondents’ reactions to the dynamically changing situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, longitudinal study was used where the moderator met on-line with the same respondent several times, at specific time intervals. A longitudinal study was used to capture the changes in opinions, emotions, and behaviors of the respondents resulting from the changes in the external circumstances (qualitative in-depth interview tracking–[ 34 ]).

The study took place from the end of March to October 2020. Due to the epidemiological situation in the country interviews took place online, using the Google Meets online video platform. The audio was recorded and then transcribed. Before taking part in the project, the respondents were informed about the purpose of the study, its course, and the fact that participation in the project is voluntary, and that they will be able to withdraw from participation at any time. The respondents were not paid for taking part in the project.

Participants.

In total, 115 interviews were conducted with 20 participants (6 interviews with the majority of respondents). Two participants (number 11 and 19, S2 Table ) dropped out of the last two interviews, and one (number 6) dropped out of the last interview. The study was based on a purposive sample and the respondents differed in gender, age, education, family status, and work situation (see S2 Table ). In addition to demographic criteria intended to ensure that the sample was as diverse as possible, an additional criterion was to have a permanent Internet connection and a computer capable of online video interviewing. Study participants were recruited using the snowball method. They were distant acquaintances of acquaintances of individuals involved in the study. None of the moderators knew their interviewees personally.

A total of 10 men and 10 women participated in the study; their age range was: 25–55; the majority had higher education (17 respondents), they were people with different professions and work status, and different family status (singles, couples without children, and families with children). Such diversity of respondents allowed us to obtain information from different life perspectives. A full description of characteristics of study participants can be found in S2 Table .

Each interview took 2 hours on average, which gives around 240 hours of interviews. Subsequent interviews with the same respondents conducted at different intervals resulted from the dynamics of the development of the pandemic and the restrictions introduced in Poland by the government.

The interviews scenario took a semi-structured form. This allowed interviewers freely modify the questions and topics depending on the dynamics of the conversation and adapt the subject matter of the interviews not only to the research purposes but also to the needs of a given respondent. The interview guides were modified from week to week, taking into account the development of the epidemiological situation, while at the same time maintaining certain constant parts that were repeated in each interview. The main parts of the interview topic guide consisted of: (a) experiences from the time of previous interviews: thoughts, feeling, fears, and hopes; (b) everyday life—organization of the day, work, free time, shopping, and eating, etc.; (c) changes—what had changed in the life of the respondent from the time of the last interview; (d) ways of coping with the situation; and (e) media—reception of information appearing in the media. Additionally, in each interview there were specific parts, such as the reactions to the beginning of the pandemic in the first interview or the reaction to the specific restrictions that were introduced.

The interviews were conducted by 5 female interviewers with experience in moderating qualitative interviews, all with a psychological background. After each series of interviews, all the members of the research teams took part in debriefing sessions, which consisted of discussing the information obtained from each respondent, exchanging general conclusions, deciding about the topics for the following interview stage, and adjusting them to the pandemic situation in the country.

Data analysis.

All the interviews were transcribed in Polish by the moderators and then double-checked (each moderator transcribed the interviews of another moderator, and then the interviewer checked the accuracy of the transcription). The whole process of analysis was conducted on the material in Polish (the native language of the authors of the study and respondents). The final page count of the transcript is approximately 1800 pages of text. The results presented below are only a portion of the total data collected during the interviews. While there are about 250 pages of the transcription directly related to the topic of the article, due to the fact that the interview was partly free-form, some themes merge with others and it is not possible to determine the exact number of pages devoted exclusively to analysis related to the topic of the article. Full dataset can be found in S1 Dataset .

Data was then processed into thematic analysis, which is defined as a method of developing qualitative data consisting of the identification, analysis, and description of the thematic areas [ 35 ]. In this type of analysis, a thematic unit is treated as an element related to the research problem that includes an important aspect of data. An important advantage of thematic analysis is its flexibility, which allows for the adoption of the most appropriate research strategy to the phenomenon under analysis. An inductive approach was used to avoid conceptual tunnel vision. Extracting themes from the raw data using an inductive approach precludes the researcher from imposing a predetermined outcome.

As a first step, each moderator reviewed the transcripts of the interviews they had conducted. Each transcript was thematically coded individually from this point during the second and the third reading. In the next step, one of the researchers reviewed the codes extracted by the other members of the research team. Then she made initial interpretations by generating themes that captured the essence of the previously identified codes. The researcher created a list of common themes present in all of the interviews. In the next step, the extracted themes were discussed again with all the moderators conducting the coding in order to achieve consistency. This collaborative process was repeated several times during the analysis. Here, further superordinate (challenges of COVID-19 pandemic) and subordinate (ways of dealing with challenges) themes were created, often by collapsing others together, and each theme listed under a superordinate and subordinate category was checked to ensure they were accurately represented. Through this process of repeated analysis and discussion of emerging themes, it was possible to agree on the final themes that are described below.

Main challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Challenge 1 –limitation of direct contact with people . The first major challenge of the pandemic was that direct contact with other people was significantly reduced. The lockdown forced many people to work from home and limit contact not only with friends but also with close family (parents, children, and siblings). Limiting contact with other people was a big challenge for most of our respondents, especially those who were living alone and for those who previously led an active social life. Depending on their earlier lifestyle profile, for some, the bigger problem was the limitation of contact with the family, for others with friends, and for still others with co-workers.

I think that because I can’t meet up with anyone and that I’m not in a relationship , I miss having sex , and I think it will become even more difficult because it will be increasingly hard to meet anyone . (5 . 3_ M_39_single) . The number In the brackets at the end of the quotes marks the respondent’s number (according to Table 1 ) and the stage of the interview (after the dash), further is information about gender (F/M), age of the respondent and family status. Linguistic errors in the quotes reflect the spoken language of the respondents.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258133.t001

Changes over time . Over the course of the 6 months of the study, an evolution in the attitudes to the restriction of face-to-face contact could be seen: from full acceptance, to later questioning its rationale. Initially (March and April), almost all the respondents understood the reasons for the isolation and were compliant. At the beginning, people were afraid of the unknown COVID-19. They were concerned that the tragic situation from Italy, which was intensively covered in the media, could repeat itself in Poland (stage 1–2 of the study). However, with time, the isolation started to bother them more and more, and they started to look for solutions to bypass the isolation guidelines (stage 3–4), both real (simply meeting each other) and mental (treating isolation only as a guideline and not as an order, perceiving the family as being less threatening than acquaintances or strangers in a store). The turning point was the long May weekend that, due to two public holidays (1 st and 3 rd May), has for many years been used as an opportunity to go away with family or friends. Many people broke their voluntary isolation during that time encouraged by information about the coming loosening of restrictions.

During the summer (stage 5 of the survey), practically no one was fully compliant with the isolation recommendations anymore. At that time, a growing familiarity could be observed with COVID-19 and an increasing tendency to talk about it as “one of many diseases”, and to convince oneself that one is not at risk and that COVID-19 is no more threatening than other viruses. Only a small group of people consciously failed to comply with the restrictions of contact with others from the very beginning of the pandemic. This behavior was mostly observed among people who were generally less anxious and less afraid of COVID-19.

I’ve had enough. I’ve had it with sitting at home. Okay, there’s some kind of virus, it’s as though it’s out there somewhere; it’s like I know 2 people who were infected but they’re still alive, nothing bad has happened to anyone. It’s just a tiny portion of people who are dying. And is it really such a tragedy that we have to be locked up at home? Surely there’s an alternative agenda there? (17.4_F_35_Adult and child)

Ways of dealing . In the initial phase, when almost everyone accepted this restriction and submitted to it, the use of communication platforms for social meetings increased (see Ways of dealing with challenges in Table 1 ) . Meetings on communication platforms were seen as an equivalent of the previous face-to-face contact and were often even accompanied by eating or drinking alcohol together. However, over time (at around stage 4–5 of the study) people began to feel that such contact was an insufficient substitute for face-to-face meetings and interest in online meetings began to wane. During this time, however, an interesting phenomenon could be seen, namely, that for many people the family was seen as a safer environment than friends, and definitely safer than strangers. The belief was that family members would be honest about being sick, while strangers not necessarily, and—on an unconscious level—the feeling was that the “family is safe”, and the “family can’t hurt them”.

When it became clear that online communication is an insufficient substitute for face-to-face contacts, people started to meet up in real life. However, a change in many behaviors associated with meeting people is clearly visible, e.g.: refraining from shaking hands, refraining from cheek kissing to greet one another, and keeping a distance during a conversation.

I can’t really say that I could ‘feel’ Good Friday or Holy Saturday. On Sunday, we had breakfast together with my husband’s family and his sister. We were in three different places but we connected over Skype. Later, at noon, we had some coffee with my parents, also over Skype. It’s obvious though that this doesn’t replace face-to-face contact but it’s always some form of conversation. (9.3_F_25_Couple, no children)

Challenge 2 –restrictions on movement and travel . In contrast to the restrictions on contact with other people, the restrictions on movement and the closing of borders were perceived more negatively and posed bigger challenges for some people (especially those who used to do a lot of travelling). In this case, it was less clear why these regulations were introduced (especially travel restrictions within the country). Moreover, travel restrictions, particularly in the case of international travels, were associated with a limitation of civil liberties. The limitation (or complete ban) on travelling abroad in the Polish situation evoked additional connotations with the communist times, that is, with the fact that there was no freedom of movement for Polish citizens (associations with totalitarianism and dictatorship). Interestingly, the lack of acceptance of this restriction was also manifested by people who did not travel much. Thus, it was not just a question of restricting travelling abroad but more of restricting the potential opportunity (“even if I’m not planning on going anywhere, I know I still can”).

Limitations on travelling around the country were particularly negatively felt by families with children, where parents believe that regular exercise and outings are necessary for the proper development of their children. For parents, it was problematic to accept the prohibition of leaving the house and going to the playground (which remained closed until mid-May). Being outdoors was perceived as important for maintaining immunity (exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle), therefore, people could not understand the reason underlying this restriction and, as a consequence, often did not accept it.

I was really bothered by the very awareness that I can’t just jump in my car or get on a plane whenever I want and go wherever I want. It’s not something that I have to do on a daily basis but freedom of movement and travelling are very important for me. (14.2_M_55_Two adults and children)

Changes over time . The travel and movement limitations, although objectively less severe for most people, aroused much greater anger than the restrictions on social contact. This was probably due to a greater sense of misunderstanding as to why these rules were being introduced in the first place. Moreover, they were often communicated inconsistently and chaotically (e.g., a ban on entering forests was introduced while, at the same time, shopping malls remained open and masses were allowed to attend church services). This anger grew over time—from interview to interview, the respondents’ irritation and lack of acceptance of this was evident (culminating in the 3 rd -4 th stage of the study). The limitation of mobility was also often associated with negative consequences for both health and the economy. Many people are convinced that being in the open air (especially accompanied by physical activity) strengthens immunity, therefore, limiting such activity may have negative health consequences. Some respondents pointed out that restricting travelling, the use of hotels and restaurants, especially during the holiday season, will have serious consequences for the existence of the tourism industry.

I can’t say I completely agree with these limitations because it’s treating everything selectively. It’s like the shopping mall is closed, I can’t buy any shoes but I can go to a home improvement store and buy some wallpaper for myself. So I don’t see the difference between encountering people in a home improvement store and a shopping mall. (18.2_F_48_Two adults and children)

Ways of dealing . Since the restriction of movement and travel was more often associated with pleasure-related behaviors than with activities necessary for living, the compensations for these restrictions were usually also from the area of hedonistic behaviors. In the statements of our respondents, terms such as “indulging” or “rewarding oneself” appeared, and behaviors such as throwing small parties at home, buying better alcohol, sweets, and new clothes were observed. There were also increased shopping behaviors related to hobbies (sometimes hobbies that could not be pursued at the given time)–a kind of “post-pandemic” shopping spree (e.g., a new bike or new skis).

Again, the reaction to this restriction also depended on the level of fear of the COVID-19 disease. People who were more afraid of being infected accepted these restrictions more easily as it gave them the feeling that they were doing something constructive to protect themselves from the infection. Conversely, people with less fears and concerns were more likely to rebel and break these bans and guidelines.

Another way of dealing with this challenge was making plans for interesting travel destinations for the post-pandemic period. This was especially salient in respondents with an active lifestyle in the past and especially visible during the 5 th stage of the study.

Today was the first day when I went to the store (due to being in quarantine after returning from abroad). I spent loads of money but I normally would have never spent so much on myself. I bought sweets and confectionery for Easter time, some Easter chocolates, too. I thought I’d do some more baking so I also bought some ingredients to do this. (1.2_ F_25_single)

Challenge 3 –necessary change in active lifestyle . Many of the limitations related to COVID-19 were a challenge for people with an active lifestyle who would regularly go to the cinema, theater, and gym, use restaurants, and do a lot of travelling. For those people, the time of the COVID constraints has brought about huge changes in their lifestyle. Most of their activities were drastically restricted overnight and they suddenly became domesticated by force, especially when it was additionally accompanied by a transition to remote work.

Compulsory spending time at home also had serious consequences for people with school-aged children who had to confront themselves with the distance learning situation of their children. The second challenge for families with children was also finding (or helping find) activities for their children to do in their free time without leaving the house.

I would love to go to a restaurant somewhere. We order food from the restaurant at least once a week, but I’d love to go to the restaurant. Spending time there is a different way of functioning. It is enjoyable and that is what I miss. I would also go to the cinema, to the theater. (13.3_M_46_Two adults and child.)

Changes over time . The nuisance of restrictions connected to an active lifestyle depended on the level of restrictions in place at a given time and the extent to which a given activity could be replaced by an alternative. Moreover, the response to these restrictions depended more on the individual differences in lifestyle rather than on the stage of the interview (except for the very beginning, when the changes in lifestyle and everyday activities were very sudden).

I miss that these restaurants are not open . And it’s not even that I would like to eat something specific . It is in all of this that I miss such freedom the most . It bothers me that I have no freedom . And I am able to get used to it , I can cook at home , I can order from home . But I just wish I had a choice . (2 . 6_F_27_single ).

Ways of dealing . In the initial phase of the pandemic (March-April—stage 1–3 of the study), when most people were afraid of the coronavirus, the acceptance of the restrictions was high. At the same time, efforts were made to find activities that could replace existing ones. Going to the gym was replaced by online exercise, and going to the cinema or theater by intensive use of streaming platforms. In the subsequent stages of the study, however, the respondents’ fatigue with these “substitutes” was noticeable. It was then that more irritation and greater non-acceptance of certain restrictions began to appear. On the other hand, the changes or restrictions introduced during the later stages of the pandemic were less sudden than the initial ones, so they were often easier to get used to.

I bought a small bike and even before that we ordered some resistance bands to work out at home, which replace certain gym equipment and devices. […] I’m considering learning a language. From the other online things, my girlfriend is having yoga classes, for instance. (7.2_M_28_Couple, no children)

Challenge 4 –boredom , monotony . As has already been shown, for many people, the beginning of the pandemic was a huge change in lifestyle, an absence of activities, and a resulting slowdown. It was sometimes associated with a feeling of weariness, monotony, and even of boredom, especially for people who worked remotely, whose days began to be similar to each other and whose working time merged with free time, weekdays with the weekends, and free time could not be filled with previous activities.

In some way, boredom. I can’t concentrate on what I’m reading. I’m trying to motivate myself to do such things as learning a language because I have so much time on my hands, or to do exercises. I don’t have this balance that I’m actually doing something for myself, like reading, working out, but also that I’m meeting up with friends. This balance has gone, so I’ve started to get bored with many things. Yesterday I felt that I was bored and something should start happening. (…) After some time, this lack of events and meetings leads to such immense boredom. (1.5_F_25_single)

Changes over time . The feeling of monotony and boredom was especially visible in stage 1 and 2 of the study when the lockdown was most restrictive and people were knocked out of their daily routines. As the pandemic continued, boredom was often replaced by irritation in some, and by stagnation in others (visible in stages 3 and 4 of the study) while, at the same time, enthusiasm for taking up new activities was waning. As most people were realizing that the pandemic was not going to end any time soon, a gradual adaptation to the new lifestyle (slower and less active) and the special pandemic demands (especially seen in stage 5 and 6 of the study) could be observed.

But I see that people around me , in fact , both family and friends , are slowly beginning to prepare themselves for more frequent stays at home . So actually more remote work , maybe everything will not be closed and we will not be locked in four walls , but this tendency towards isolation or self-isolation , such a deliberate one , appears . I guess we are used to the fact that it has to be this way . (15 . 6_M_43_Two adults and child) .

Ways of dealing . The answer to the monotony of everyday life and to finding different ways of separating work from free time was to stick to certain rituals, such as “getting dressed for work”, even when work was only by a computer at home or, if possible, setting a fixed meal time when the whole family would gather together. For some, the time of the beginning of the pandemic was treated as an extra vacation. This was especially true of people who could not carry out their work during the time of the most severe restrictions (e.g., hairdressers and doctors). For them, provided that they believed that everything would return to normal and that they would soon go back to work, a “vacation mode” was activated wherein they would sleep longer, watch a lot of movies, read books, and generally do pleasant things for which they previously had no time and which they could now enjoy without feeling guilty. Another way of dealing with the monotony and transition to a slower lifestyle was taking up various activities for which there was no time before, such as baking bread at home and cooking fancy dishes.

I generally do have a set schedule. I begin work at eight. Well, and what’s changed is that I can get up last minute, switch the computer on and be practically making my breakfast and coffee during this time. I do some work and then print out some materials for my younger daughter. You know, I have work till four, I keep on going up to the computer and checking my emails. (19.1_F_39_Two adults and children)

Challenge 5 –uncertainty about the future . Despite the difficulties arising from the circumstances and limitations described above, it seems that psychologically, the greatest challenge during a pandemic is the uncertainty of what will happen next. There was a lot of contradictory information in the media that caused a sense of confusion and heightened the feeling of anxiety.

I’m less bothered about the changes that were put in place and more about this concern about what will happen in the future. Right now, it’s like there’s these mood swings. […] Based on what’s going on, this will somehow affect every one of us. And that’s what I’m afraid of. The fact that someone will not survive and I have no way of knowing who this could be—whether it will be me or anyone else, or my dad, if somehow the coronavirus will sneak its way into our home. I simply don’t know. I’m simply afraid of this. (10.1_F_55_Couple, no children)

Changes over time . In the first phase of the pandemic (interviews 1–3), most people felt a strong sense of not being in control of the situation and of their own lives. Not only did the consequences of the pandemic include a change in lifestyle but also, very often, the suspension of plans altogether. In addition, many people felt a strong fear of the future, about what would happen, and even a sense of threat to their own or their loved ones’ lives. Gradually (interview 4), alongside anxiety, anger began to emerge about not knowing what would happen next. At the beginning of the summer (stage 5 of the study), most people had a hope of the pandemic soon ending. It was a period of easing restrictions and of opening up the economy. Life was starting to look more and more like it did before the pandemic, fleetingly giving an illusion that the end of the pandemic was “in sight” and the vision of a return to normal life. Unfortunately, autumn showed that more waves of the pandemic were approaching. In the interviews of the 6 th stage of the study, we could see more and more confusion and uncertainty, a loss of hope, and often a manifestation of disagreement with the restrictions that were introduced.

This is making me sad and angry. More angry, in fact. […] I don’t know what I should do. Up until now, there was nothing like this. Up until now, I was pretty certain of what I was doing in all the decisions I was making. (14.4_M_55_Two adults and children)

Ways of dealing . People reacted differently to the described feeling of insecurity. In order to reduce the emerging fears, some people searched (sometimes even compulsively) for any information that could help them “take control” of the situation. These people searched various sources, for example, information on the number of infected persons and the number of deaths. This knowledge gave them the illusion of control and helped them to somewhat reduce the anxiety evoked by the pandemic. The behavior of this group was often accompanied by very strict adherence to all guidelines and restrictions (e.g., frequent hand sanitization, wearing a face mask, and avoiding contact with others). This behavior increased the sense of control over the situation in these people.

A completely opposite strategy to reducing the feeling of uncertainty which we also observed in some respondents was cutting off information in the media about the scale of the disease and the resulting restrictions. These people, unable to keep up with the changing information and often inconsistent messages, in order to maintain cognitive coherence tried to cut off the media as much as possible, assuming that even if something really significant had happened, they would still find out.

I want to keep up to date with the current affairs. Even if it is an hour a day. How is the pandemic situation developing—is it increasing or decreasing. There’s a bit of propaganda there because I know that when they’re saying that they have the situation under control, they can’t control it anyway. Anyhow, it still has a somewhat calming effect that it’s dying down over here and that things aren’t that bad. And, apart from this, I listen to the news concerning restrictions, what we can and can’t do. (3.1_F_54_single)

Discussion and conclusions

The results of our study showed that the five greatest challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic are: limitations of direct contact with people, restrictions on movement and travel, change in active lifestyle, boredom and monotony, and finally uncertainty about the future. As we can see the spectrum of problems resulting from the pandemic is very wide and some of them have an impact on everyday functioning and lifestyle, some other influence psychological functioning and well-being. Moreover, different people deal with these problems differently and different changes in everyday life are challenging for them. The first challenge of the pandemic COVID-19 problem is the consequence of the limitation of direct contact with others. This regulation has very strong psychological consequences in the sense of loneliness and lack of closeness. Initially, people tried to deal with this limitation through the use of internet communicators. It turned out, however, that this form of contact for the majority of people was definitely insufficient and feelings of deprivation quickly increased. As much data from psychological literature shows, contact with others can have great psychological healing properties [e.g., 29 ]. The need for closeness is a natural need in times of crisis and catastrophes [ 30 ]. Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to meet this need was severely limited by regulations. This led to many people having serious problems with maintaining a good psychological condition.

Another troubling limitation found in our study were the restrictions on movement and travel, and the associated restrictions of most activities, which caused a huge change in lifestyle for many people. As shown in previous studies, travel and diverse leisure activities are important predictors of greater well-being [ 36 ]. Moreover, COVID-19 pandemic movement restrictions may be perceived by some people as a threat to human rights [ 37 ], which can contribute to people’s reluctance to accept lockdown rules.

The problem with accepting these restrictions was also related to the lack of understanding of the reasons behind them. Just as the limitation in contact with other people seemed understandable, the limitations related to physical activity and mobility were less so. Because of these limitations many people lost a sense of understanding of the rules and restrictions being imposed. Inconsistent communication in the media—called by some researchers the ‘infodemic’ [ 18 ], as well as discordant recommendations in different countries, causing an increasing sense of confusion in people.

Another huge challenge posed by the current pandemic is the feeling of uncertainty about the future. This feeling is caused by constant changes in the rules concerning daily functioning during the pandemic and what is prohibited and what is allowed. People lose their sense of being in control of the situation. From the psychological point of view, a long-lasting experience of lack of control can cause so-called learned helplessness, a permanent feeling of having no influence over the situation and no possibility of changing it [ 38 ], which can even result in depression and lower mental and physical wellbeing [ 39 ]. Control over live and the feeling that people have an influence on what happens in their lives is one of the basic rules of crisis situation resilience [ 30 ]. Unfortunately, also in this area, people have huge deficits caused by the pandemic. The obtained results are coherent with previous studies regarding the strategies harnessed to cope with the pandemic [e.g., 5 , 10 , 28 , 33 ]. For example, some studies showed that seeking social support is one of the most common strategies used to deal with the coronavirus pandemic [ 33 , 40 ]. Other ways to deal with this situation include distraction, active coping, and a positive appraisal of the situation [ 41 ]. Furthermore, research has shown that simple coping behaviors such as a healthy diet, not reading too much COVID-19 news, following a daily routine, and spending time outdoors may be protective factors against anxiety and depressive symptoms in times of the coronavirus pandemic [ 41 ].

This study showed that the acceptance of various limitations, and especially the feeling of discomfort associated with them, depended on the person’s earlier lifestyle. The more active and socializing a person was, the more restrictions were burdensome for him/her. The second factor, more of a psychological nature, was the fear of developing COVID-19. In this case, people who were more afraid of getting sick were more likely to submit to the imposed restrictions that, paradoxically, did not reduce their anxiety, and sometimes even heightened it.

Limitations of the study.

While the study shows interesting results, it also has some limitations. The purpose of the study was primarily to capture the first response to problems resulting from a pandemic, and as such its design is not ideal. First, the study participants are not diverse as much as would be desirable. They are mostly college-educated and relatively well off, which may influence how they perceive the pandemic situation. Furthermore, the recruitment was done by searching among the further acquaintances of the people involved in the study, so there is a risk that all the people interviewed come from a similar background. It would be necessary to conduct a study that also describes the reaction of people who are already in a more difficult life situation before the pandemic starts.

Moreover, it would also be worthwhile to pay attention to the interviewers themselves. All of the moderators were female, and although gender effects on the quality of the interviews and differences between the establishment of relationships between women and men were not observed during the debriefing process, the topic of gender effects on the results of qualitative research is frequently addressed in the literature [ 42 , 43 ]. Although the researchers approached the process with reflexivity and self-criticism at all stages, it would have seemed important to involve male moderators in the study to capture any differences in relationship dynamics.

Practical implications.

The study presented has many practical implications. Decision-makers in the state can analyze the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in a way that avoids a critical situation involving other infectious diseases in the future. The results of our study showing the most disruptive effects of the pandemic on people can serve as a basis for developing strategies to deal with the effects of the crisis so that it does not translate into a deterioration of the public’s mental health in the future.

The results of our study can also provide guidance on how to communicate information about restrictions in the future so that they are accepted and respected (for example by giving rational explanations of the reasons for introducing particular restrictions). In addition, the results of our study can also be a source of guidance on how to deal with the limitations that may arise in a recurrent COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other emergencies that could come.

The analysis of the results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially the lockdown periods, are a particular challenge for many people due to reduced social contact. On the other hand, it is social contacts that are at the same time a way of a smoother transition of crises. This knowledge should prompt decision-makers to devise ways to ensure pandemic safety without drastically limiting social contacts and to create solutions that give people a sense of control (instead of depriving it of). Providing such solutions can reduce the psychological problems associated with a pandemic and help people to cope better with it.

Conclusions

As more and more is said about the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may not end soon and that we are likely to face more waves of this disease and related lockdowns, it is very important to understand how the different restrictions are perceived, what difficulties they cause and what are the biggest challenges resulting from them. For example, an important element of accepting the restrictions is understanding their sources, i.e., what they result from, what they are supposed to prevent, and what consequences they have for the fight against the pandemic. Moreover, we observed that the more incomprehensible the order was, the more it provoked to break it. This means that not only medical treatment is extremely important in an effective fight against a pandemic, but also appropriate communication.

The results of our study showed also that certain restrictions cause emotional deficits (e.g., loneliness, loss of sense of control) and, consequently, may cause serious problems with psychological functioning. From this perspective, it seems extremely important to understand which restrictions are causing emotional problems and how they can be dealt with in order to reduce the psychological discomfort associated with them.

Supporting information

S1 table. a full description of the changes occurring in poland at the time of the study..

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258133.s001

S2 Table. Characteristics of study participants.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258133.s002

S1 Dataset. Transcriptions from the interviews.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258133.s003

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Research article
Open access
Published: 04 June 2021

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: an overview of systematic reviews

Israel Júnior Borges do Nascimento 1 , 2 ,
Dónal P. O’Mathúna 3 , 4 ,
Thilo Caspar von Groote 5 ,
Hebatullah Mohamed Abdulazeem 6 ,
Ishanka Weerasekara 7 , 8 ,
Ana Marusic 9 ,
Livia Puljak ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8467-6061 10 ,
Vinicius Tassoni Civile 11 ,
Irena Zakarija-Grkovic 9 ,
Tina Poklepovic Pericic 9 ,
Alvaro Nagib Atallah 11 ,
Santino Filoso 12 ,
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi 13 &
Milena Soriano Marcolino 1

On behalf of the International Network of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (InterNetCOVID-19)

BMC Infectious Diseases volume 21 , Article number: 525 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Navigating the rapidly growing body of scientific literature on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is challenging, and ongoing critical appraisal of this output is essential. We aimed to summarize and critically appraise systematic reviews of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in humans that were available at the beginning of the pandemic.

Nine databases (Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Sciences, PDQ-Evidence, WHO’s Global Research, LILACS, and Epistemonikos) were searched from December 1, 2019, to March 24, 2020. Systematic reviews analyzing primary studies of COVID-19 were included. Two authors independently undertook screening, selection, extraction (data on clinical symptoms, prevalence, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, diagnostic test assessment, laboratory, and radiological findings), and quality assessment (AMSTAR 2). A meta-analysis was performed of the prevalence of clinical outcomes.

Eighteen systematic reviews were included; one was empty (did not identify any relevant study). Using AMSTAR 2, confidence in the results of all 18 reviews was rated as “critically low”. Identified symptoms of COVID-19 were (range values of point estimates): fever (82–95%), cough with or without sputum (58–72%), dyspnea (26–59%), myalgia or muscle fatigue (29–51%), sore throat (10–13%), headache (8–12%) and gastrointestinal complaints (5–9%). Severe symptoms were more common in men. Elevated C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase, and slightly elevated aspartate and alanine aminotransferase, were commonly described. Thrombocytopenia and elevated levels of procalcitonin and cardiac troponin I were associated with severe disease. A frequent finding on chest imaging was uni- or bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacity. A single review investigated the impact of medication (chloroquine) but found no verifiable clinical data. All-cause mortality ranged from 0.3 to 13.9%.

Conclusions

In this overview of systematic reviews, we analyzed evidence from the first 18 systematic reviews that were published after the emergence of COVID-19. However, confidence in the results of all reviews was “critically low”. Thus, systematic reviews that were published early on in the pandemic were of questionable usefulness. Even during public health emergencies, studies and systematic reviews should adhere to established methodological standards.

Peer Review reports

The spread of the “Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of COVID-19, was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 and has triggered an international public health emergency [ 1 ]. The numbers of confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 are rapidly escalating, counting in millions [ 2 ], causing massive economic strain, and escalating healthcare and public health expenses [ 3 , 4 ].

The research community has responded by publishing an impressive number of scientific reports related to COVID-19. The world was alerted to the new disease at the beginning of 2020 [ 1 ], and by mid-March 2020, more than 2000 articles had been published on COVID-19 in scholarly journals, with 25% of them containing original data [ 5 ]. The living map of COVID-19 evidence, curated by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre), contained more than 40,000 records by February 2021 [ 6 ]. More than 100,000 records on PubMed were labeled as “SARS-CoV-2 literature, sequence, and clinical content” by February 2021 [ 7 ].

Due to publication speed, the research community has voiced concerns regarding the quality and reproducibility of evidence produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, warning of the potential damaging approach of “publish first, retract later” [ 8 ]. It appears that these concerns are not unfounded, as it has been reported that COVID-19 articles were overrepresented in the pool of retracted articles in 2020 [ 9 ]. These concerns about inadequate evidence are of major importance because they can lead to poor clinical practice and inappropriate policies [ 10 ].

Systematic reviews are a cornerstone of today’s evidence-informed decision-making. By synthesizing all relevant evidence regarding a particular topic, systematic reviews reflect the current scientific knowledge. Systematic reviews are considered to be at the highest level in the hierarchy of evidence and should be used to make informed decisions. However, with high numbers of systematic reviews of different scope and methodological quality being published, overviews of multiple systematic reviews that assess their methodological quality are essential [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. An overview of systematic reviews helps identify and organize the literature and highlights areas of priority in decision-making.

In this overview of systematic reviews, we aimed to summarize and critically appraise systematic reviews of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in humans that were available at the beginning of the pandemic.

Methodology

Research question.

This overview’s primary objective was to summarize and critically appraise systematic reviews that assessed any type of primary clinical data from patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Our research question was purposefully broad because we wanted to analyze as many systematic reviews as possible that were available early following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Study design

We conducted an overview of systematic reviews. The idea for this overview originated in a protocol for a systematic review submitted to PROSPERO (CRD42020170623), which indicated a plan to conduct an overview.

Overviews of systematic reviews use explicit and systematic methods for searching and identifying multiple systematic reviews addressing related research questions in the same field to extract and analyze evidence across important outcomes. Overviews of systematic reviews are in principle similar to systematic reviews of interventions, but the unit of analysis is a systematic review [ 14 , 15 , 16 ].

We used the overview methodology instead of other evidence synthesis methods to allow us to collate and appraise multiple systematic reviews on this topic, and to extract and analyze their results across relevant topics [ 17 ]. The overview and meta-analysis of systematic reviews allowed us to investigate the methodological quality of included studies, summarize results, and identify specific areas of available or limited evidence, thereby strengthening the current understanding of this novel disease and guiding future research [ 13 ].

A reporting guideline for overviews of reviews is currently under development, i.e., Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews (PRIOR) [ 18 ]. As the PRIOR checklist is still not published, this study was reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009 statement [ 19 ]. The methodology used in this review was adapted from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and also followed established methodological considerations for analyzing existing systematic reviews [ 14 ].

Approval of a research ethics committee was not necessary as the study analyzed only publicly available articles.

Eligibility criteria

Systematic reviews were included if they analyzed primary data from patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 as confirmed by RT-PCR or another pre-specified diagnostic technique. Eligible reviews covered all topics related to COVID-19 including, but not limited to, those that reported clinical symptoms, diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions, laboratory findings, or radiological results. Both full manuscripts and abbreviated versions, such as letters, were eligible.

No restrictions were imposed on the design of the primary studies included within the systematic reviews, the last search date, whether the review included meta-analyses or language. Reviews related to SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses were eligible, but from those reviews, we analyzed only data related to SARS-CoV-2.

No consensus definition exists for a systematic review [ 20 ], and debates continue about the defining characteristics of a systematic review [ 21 ]. Cochrane’s guidance for overviews of reviews recommends setting pre-established criteria for making decisions around inclusion [ 14 ]. That is supported by a recent scoping review about guidance for overviews of systematic reviews [ 22 ].

Thus, for this study, we defined a systematic review as a research report which searched for primary research studies on a specific topic using an explicit search strategy, had a detailed description of the methods with explicit inclusion criteria provided, and provided a summary of the included studies either in narrative or quantitative format (such as a meta-analysis). Cochrane and non-Cochrane systematic reviews were considered eligible for inclusion, with or without meta-analysis, and regardless of the study design, language restriction and methodology of the included primary studies. To be eligible for inclusion, reviews had to be clearly analyzing data related to SARS-CoV-2 (associated or not with other viruses). We excluded narrative reviews without those characteristics as these are less likely to be replicable and are more prone to bias.

Scoping reviews and rapid reviews were eligible for inclusion in this overview if they met our pre-defined inclusion criteria noted above. We included reviews that addressed SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses if they reported separate data regarding SARS-CoV-2.

Information sources

Nine databases were searched for eligible records published between December 1, 2019, and March 24, 2020: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews via Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Sciences, LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), PDQ-Evidence, WHO’s Global Research on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), and Epistemonikos.

The comprehensive search strategy for each database is provided in Additional file 1 and was designed and conducted in collaboration with an information specialist. All retrieved records were primarily processed in EndNote, where duplicates were removed, and records were then imported into the Covidence platform [ 23 ]. In addition to database searches, we screened reference lists of reviews included after screening records retrieved via databases.

Study selection

All searches, screening of titles and abstracts, and record selection, were performed independently by two investigators using the Covidence platform [ 23 ]. Articles deemed potentially eligible were retrieved for full-text screening carried out independently by two investigators. Discrepancies at all stages were resolved by consensus. During the screening, records published in languages other than English were translated by a native/fluent speaker.

Data collection process

We custom designed a data extraction table for this study, which was piloted by two authors independently. Data extraction was performed independently by two authors. Conflicts were resolved by consensus or by consulting a third researcher.

We extracted the following data: article identification data (authors’ name and journal of publication), search period, number of databases searched, population or settings considered, main results and outcomes observed, and number of participants. From Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics, Philadelphia, PA, USA), we extracted journal rank (quartile) and Journal Impact Factor (JIF).

We categorized the following as primary outcomes: all-cause mortality, need for and length of mechanical ventilation, length of hospitalization (in days), admission to intensive care unit (yes/no), and length of stay in the intensive care unit.

The following outcomes were categorized as exploratory: diagnostic methods used for detection of the virus, male to female ratio, clinical symptoms, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, laboratory findings (full blood count, liver enzymes, C-reactive protein, d-dimer, albumin, lipid profile, serum electrolytes, blood vitamin levels, glucose levels, and any other important biomarkers), and radiological findings (using radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound).

We also collected data on reporting guidelines and requirements for the publication of systematic reviews and meta-analyses from journal websites where included reviews were published.

Quality assessment in individual reviews

Two researchers independently assessed the reviews’ quality using the “A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2)”. We acknowledge that the AMSTAR 2 was created as “a critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews that include randomized or non-randomized studies of healthcare interventions, or both” [ 24 ]. However, since AMSTAR 2 was designed for systematic reviews of intervention trials, and we included additional types of systematic reviews, we adjusted some AMSTAR 2 ratings and reported these in Additional file 2 .

Adherence to each item was rated as follows: yes, partial yes, no, or not applicable (such as when a meta-analysis was not conducted). The overall confidence in the results of the review is rated as “critically low”, “low”, “moderate” or “high”, according to the AMSTAR 2 guidance based on seven critical domains, which are items 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 as defined by AMSTAR 2 authors [ 24 ]. We reported our adherence ratings for transparency of our decision with accompanying explanations, for each item, in each included review.

One of the included systematic reviews was conducted by some members of this author team [ 25 ]. This review was initially assessed independently by two authors who were not co-authors of that review to prevent the risk of bias in assessing this study.

Synthesis of results

For data synthesis, we prepared a table summarizing each systematic review. Graphs illustrating the mortality rate and clinical symptoms were created. We then prepared a narrative summary of the methods, findings, study strengths, and limitations.

For analysis of the prevalence of clinical outcomes, we extracted data on the number of events and the total number of patients to perform proportional meta-analysis using RStudio© software, with the “meta” package (version 4.9–6), using the “metaprop” function for reviews that did not perform a meta-analysis, excluding case studies because of the absence of variance. For reviews that did not perform a meta-analysis, we presented pooled results of proportions with their respective confidence intervals (95%) by the inverse variance method with a random-effects model, using the DerSimonian-Laird estimator for τ 2 . We adjusted data using Freeman-Tukey double arcosen transformation. Confidence intervals were calculated using the Clopper-Pearson method for individual studies. We created forest plots using the RStudio© software, with the “metafor” package (version 2.1–0) and “forest” function.

Managing overlapping systematic reviews

Some of the included systematic reviews that address the same or similar research questions may include the same primary studies in overviews. Including such overlapping reviews may introduce bias when outcome data from the same primary study are included in the analyses of an overview multiple times. Thus, in summaries of evidence, multiple-counting of the same outcome data will give data from some primary studies too much influence [ 14 ]. In this overview, we did not exclude overlapping systematic reviews because, according to Cochrane’s guidance, it may be appropriate to include all relevant reviews’ results if the purpose of the overview is to present and describe the current body of evidence on a topic [ 14 ]. To avoid any bias in summary estimates associated with overlapping reviews, we generated forest plots showing data from individual systematic reviews, but the results were not pooled because some primary studies were included in multiple reviews.

Our search retrieved 1063 publications, of which 175 were duplicates. Most publications were excluded after the title and abstract analysis ( n = 860). Among the 28 studies selected for full-text screening, 10 were excluded for the reasons described in Additional file 3 , and 18 were included in the final analysis (Fig. 1 ) [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Reference list screening did not retrieve any additional systematic reviews.

PRISMA flow diagram

Characteristics of included reviews

Summary features of 18 systematic reviews are presented in Table 1 . They were published in 14 different journals. Only four of these journals had specific requirements for systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis): European Journal of Internal Medicine, Journal of Clinical Medicine, Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Clinical Research in Cardiology . Two journals reported that they published only invited reviews ( Journal of Medical Virology and Clinica Chimica Acta ). Three systematic reviews in our study were published as letters; one was labeled as a scoping review and another as a rapid review (Table 2 ).

All reviews were published in English, in first quartile (Q1) journals, with JIF ranging from 1.692 to 6.062. One review was empty, meaning that its search did not identify any relevant studies; i.e., no primary studies were included [ 36 ]. The remaining 17 reviews included 269 unique studies; the majority ( N = 211; 78%) were included in only a single review included in our study (range: 1 to 12). Primary studies included in the reviews were published between December 2019 and March 18, 2020, and comprised case reports, case series, cohorts, and other observational studies. We found only one review that included randomized clinical trials [ 38 ]. In the included reviews, systematic literature searches were performed from 2019 (entire year) up to March 9, 2020. Ten systematic reviews included meta-analyses. The list of primary studies found in the included systematic reviews is shown in Additional file 4 , as well as the number of reviews in which each primary study was included.

Population and study designs

Most of the reviews analyzed data from patients with COVID-19 who developed pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or any other correlated complication. One review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using surgical masks on preventing transmission of the virus [ 36 ], one review was focused on pediatric patients [ 34 ], and one review investigated COVID-19 in pregnant women [ 37 ]. Most reviews assessed clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, or radiological results.

Systematic review findings

The summary of findings from individual reviews is shown in Table 2 . Overall, all-cause mortality ranged from 0.3 to 13.9% (Fig. 2 ).

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of mortality

Clinical symptoms

Seven reviews described the main clinical manifestations of COVID-19 [ 26 , 28 , 29 , 34 , 35 , 39 , 41 ]. Three of them provided only a narrative discussion of symptoms [ 26 , 34 , 35 ]. In the reviews that performed a statistical analysis of the incidence of different clinical symptoms, symptoms in patients with COVID-19 were (range values of point estimates): fever (82–95%), cough with or without sputum (58–72%), dyspnea (26–59%), myalgia or muscle fatigue (29–51%), sore throat (10–13%), headache (8–12%), gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhea, nausea or vomiting (5.0–9.0%), and others (including, in one study only: dizziness 12.1%) (Figs. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 and 9 ). Three reviews assessed cough with and without sputum together; only one review assessed sputum production itself (28.5%).

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of fever

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of cough

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of dyspnea

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of fatigue or myalgia

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of headache

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders

A meta-analysis of the prevalence of sore throat

Diagnostic aspects

Three reviews described methodologies, protocols, and tools used for establishing the diagnosis of COVID-19 [ 26 , 34 , 38 ]. The use of respiratory swabs (nasal or pharyngeal) or blood specimens to assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid using RT-PCR assays was the most commonly used diagnostic method mentioned in the included studies. These diagnostic tests have been widely used, but their precise sensitivity and specificity remain unknown. One review included a Chinese study with clinical diagnosis with no confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection (patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 if they presented with at least two symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, together with laboratory and chest radiography abnormalities) [ 34 ].

Therapeutic possibilities

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions (supportive therapies) used in treating patients with COVID-19 were reported in five reviews [ 25 , 27 , 34 , 35 , 38 ]. Antivirals used empirically for COVID-19 treatment were reported in seven reviews [ 25 , 27 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 41 ]; most commonly used were protease inhibitors (lopinavir, ritonavir, darunavir), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (tenofovir), nucleotide analogs (remdesivir, galidesivir, ganciclovir), and neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir). Umifenovir, a membrane fusion inhibitor, was investigated in two studies [ 25 , 35 ]. Possible supportive interventions analyzed were different types of oxygen supplementation and breathing support (invasive or non-invasive ventilation) [ 25 ]. The use of antibiotics, both empirically and to treat secondary pneumonia, was reported in six studies [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 34 , 35 , 38 ]. One review specifically assessed evidence on the efficacy and safety of the anti-malaria drug chloroquine [ 27 ]. It identified 23 ongoing trials investigating the potential of chloroquine as a therapeutic option for COVID-19, but no verifiable clinical outcomes data. The use of mesenchymal stem cells, antifungals, and glucocorticoids were described in four reviews [ 25 , 34 , 35 , 38 ].

Laboratory and radiological findings

Of the 18 reviews included in this overview, eight analyzed laboratory parameters in patients with COVID-19 [ 25 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 39 ]; elevated C-reactive protein levels, associated with lymphocytopenia, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, as well as slightly elevated aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (AST, ALT) were commonly described in those eight reviews. Lippi et al. assessed cardiac troponin I (cTnI) [ 25 ], procalcitonin [ 32 ], and platelet count [ 33 ] in COVID-19 patients. Elevated levels of procalcitonin [ 32 ] and cTnI [ 30 ] were more likely to be associated with a severe disease course (requiring intensive care unit admission and intubation). Furthermore, thrombocytopenia was frequently observed in patients with complicated COVID-19 infections [ 33 ].

Chest imaging (chest radiography and/or computed tomography) features were assessed in six reviews, all of which described a frequent pattern of local or bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacity [ 25 , 34 , 35 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Those six reviews showed that septal thickening, bronchiectasis, pleural and cardiac effusions, halo signs, and pneumothorax were observed in patients suffering from COVID-19.

Quality of evidence in individual systematic reviews

Table 3 shows the detailed results of the quality assessment of 18 systematic reviews, including the assessment of individual items and summary assessment. A detailed explanation for each decision in each review is available in Additional file 5 .

Using AMSTAR 2 criteria, confidence in the results of all 18 reviews was rated as “critically low” (Table 3 ). Common methodological drawbacks were: omission of prospective protocol submission or publication; use of inappropriate search strategy: lack of independent and dual literature screening and data-extraction (or methodology unclear); absence of an explanation for heterogeneity among the studies included; lack of reasons for study exclusion (or rationale unclear).

Risk of bias assessment, based on a reported methodological tool, and quality of evidence appraisal, in line with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) method, were reported only in one review [ 25 ]. Five reviews presented a table summarizing bias, using various risk of bias tools [ 25 , 29 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. One review analyzed “study quality” [ 37 ]. One review mentioned the risk of bias assessment in the methodology but did not provide any related analysis [ 28 ].

This overview of systematic reviews analyzed the first 18 systematic reviews published after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, up to March 24, 2020, with primary studies involving more than 60,000 patients. Using AMSTAR-2, we judged that our confidence in all those reviews was “critically low”. Ten reviews included meta-analyses. The reviews presented data on clinical manifestations, laboratory and radiological findings, and interventions. We found no systematic reviews on the utility of diagnostic tests.

Symptoms were reported in seven reviews; most of the patients had a fever, cough, dyspnea, myalgia or muscle fatigue, and gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Olfactory dysfunction (anosmia or dysosmia) has been described in patients infected with COVID-19 [ 43 ]; however, this was not reported in any of the reviews included in this overview. During the SARS outbreak in 2002, there were reports of impairment of the sense of smell associated with the disease [ 44 , 45 ].

The reported mortality rates ranged from 0.3 to 14% in the included reviews. Mortality estimates are influenced by the transmissibility rate (basic reproduction number), availability of diagnostic tools, notification policies, asymptomatic presentations of the disease, resources for disease prevention and control, and treatment facilities; variability in the mortality rate fits the pattern of emerging infectious diseases [ 46 ]. Furthermore, the reported cases did not consider asymptomatic cases, mild cases where individuals have not sought medical treatment, and the fact that many countries had limited access to diagnostic tests or have implemented testing policies later than the others. Considering the lack of reviews assessing diagnostic testing (sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of RT-PCT or immunoglobulin tests), and the preponderance of studies that assessed only symptomatic individuals, considerable imprecision around the calculated mortality rates existed in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Few reviews included treatment data. Those reviews described studies considered to be at a very low level of evidence: usually small, retrospective studies with very heterogeneous populations. Seven reviews analyzed laboratory parameters; those reviews could have been useful for clinicians who attend patients suspected of COVID-19 in emergency services worldwide, such as assessing which patients need to be reassessed more frequently.

All systematic reviews scored poorly on the AMSTAR 2 critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews. Most of the original studies included in the reviews were case series and case reports, impacting the quality of evidence. Such evidence has major implications for clinical practice and the use of these reviews in evidence-based practice and policy. Clinicians, patients, and policymakers can only have the highest confidence in systematic review findings if high-quality systematic review methodologies are employed. The urgent need for information during a pandemic does not justify poor quality reporting.

We acknowledge that there are numerous challenges associated with analyzing COVID-19 data during a pandemic [ 47 ]. High-quality evidence syntheses are needed for decision-making, but each type of evidence syntheses is associated with its inherent challenges.

The creation of classic systematic reviews requires considerable time and effort; with massive research output, they quickly become outdated, and preparing updated versions also requires considerable time. A recent study showed that updates of non-Cochrane systematic reviews are published a median of 5 years after the publication of the previous version [ 48 ].

Authors may register a review and then abandon it [ 49 ], but the existence of a public record that is not updated may lead other authors to believe that the review is still ongoing. A quarter of Cochrane review protocols remains unpublished as completed systematic reviews 8 years after protocol publication [ 50 ].

Rapid reviews can be used to summarize the evidence, but they involve methodological sacrifices and simplifications to produce information promptly, with inconsistent methodological approaches [ 51 ]. However, rapid reviews are justified in times of public health emergencies, and even Cochrane has resorted to publishing rapid reviews in response to the COVID-19 crisis [ 52 ]. Rapid reviews were eligible for inclusion in this overview, but only one of the 18 reviews included in this study was labeled as a rapid review.

Ideally, COVID-19 evidence would be continually summarized in a series of high-quality living systematic reviews, types of evidence synthesis defined as “ a systematic review which is continually updated, incorporating relevant new evidence as it becomes available ” [ 53 ]. However, conducting living systematic reviews requires considerable resources, calling into question the sustainability of such evidence synthesis over long periods [ 54 ].

Research reports about COVID-19 will contribute to research waste if they are poorly designed, poorly reported, or simply not necessary. In principle, systematic reviews should help reduce research waste as they usually provide recommendations for further research that is needed or may advise that sufficient evidence exists on a particular topic [ 55 ]. However, systematic reviews can also contribute to growing research waste when they are not needed, or poorly conducted and reported. Our present study clearly shows that most of the systematic reviews that were published early on in the COVID-19 pandemic could be categorized as research waste, as our confidence in their results is critically low.

Our study has some limitations. One is that for AMSTAR 2 assessment we relied on information available in publications; we did not attempt to contact study authors for clarifications or additional data. In three reviews, the methodological quality appraisal was challenging because they were published as letters, or labeled as rapid communications. As a result, various details about their review process were not included, leading to AMSTAR 2 questions being answered as “not reported”, resulting in low confidence scores. Full manuscripts might have provided additional information that could have led to higher confidence in the results. In other words, low scores could reflect incomplete reporting, not necessarily low-quality review methods. To make their review available more rapidly and more concisely, the authors may have omitted methodological details. A general issue during a crisis is that speed and completeness must be balanced. However, maintaining high standards requires proper resourcing and commitment to ensure that the users of systematic reviews can have high confidence in the results.

Furthermore, we used adjusted AMSTAR 2 scoring, as the tool was designed for critical appraisal of reviews of interventions. Some reviews may have received lower scores than actually warranted in spite of these adjustments.

Another limitation of our study may be the inclusion of multiple overlapping reviews, as some included reviews included the same primary studies. According to the Cochrane Handbook, including overlapping reviews may be appropriate when the review’s aim is “ to present and describe the current body of systematic review evidence on a topic ” [ 12 ], which was our aim. To avoid bias with summarizing evidence from overlapping reviews, we presented the forest plots without summary estimates. The forest plots serve to inform readers about the effect sizes for outcomes that were reported in each review.

Several authors from this study have contributed to one of the reviews identified [ 25 ]. To reduce the risk of any bias, two authors who did not co-author the review in question initially assessed its quality and limitations.

Finally, we note that the systematic reviews included in our overview may have had issues that our analysis did not identify because we did not analyze their primary studies to verify the accuracy of the data and information they presented. We give two examples to substantiate this possibility. Lovato et al. wrote a commentary on the review of Sun et al. [ 41 ], in which they criticized the authors’ conclusion that sore throat is rare in COVID-19 patients [ 56 ]. Lovato et al. highlighted that multiple studies included in Sun et al. did not accurately describe participants’ clinical presentations, warning that only three studies clearly reported data on sore throat [ 56 ].

In another example, Leung [ 57 ] warned about the review of Li, L.Q. et al. [ 29 ]: “ it is possible that this statistic was computed using overlapped samples, therefore some patients were double counted ”. Li et al. responded to Leung that it is uncertain whether the data overlapped, as they used data from published articles and did not have access to the original data; they also reported that they requested original data and that they plan to re-do their analyses once they receive them; they also urged readers to treat the data with caution [ 58 ]. This points to the evolving nature of evidence during a crisis.

Our study’s strength is that this overview adds to the current knowledge by providing a comprehensive summary of all the evidence synthesis about COVID-19 available early after the onset of the pandemic. This overview followed strict methodological criteria, including a comprehensive and sensitive search strategy and a standard tool for methodological appraisal of systematic reviews.

In conclusion, in this overview of systematic reviews, we analyzed evidence from the first 18 systematic reviews that were published after the emergence of COVID-19. However, confidence in the results of all the reviews was “critically low”. Thus, systematic reviews that were published early on in the pandemic could be categorized as research waste. Even during public health emergencies, studies and systematic reviews should adhere to established methodological standards to provide patients, clinicians, and decision-makers trustworthy evidence.

Availability of data and materials

All data collected and analyzed within this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Catherine Henderson DPhil from Swanscoe Communications for pro bono medical writing and editing support. We acknowledge support from the Covidence Team, specifically Anneliese Arno. We thank the whole International Network of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (InterNetCOVID-19) for their commitment and involvement. Members of the InterNetCOVID-19 are listed in Additional file 6 . We thank Pavel Cerny and Roger Crosthwaite for guiding the team supervisor (IJBN) on human resources management.

This research received no external funding.

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Israel Júnior Borges do Nascimento & Milena Soriano Marcolino

Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Israel Júnior Borges do Nascimento

Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

Dónal P. O’Mathúna

School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany

Thilo Caspar von Groote

Department of Sport and Health Science, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany

Hebatullah Mohamed Abdulazeem

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Ishanka Weerasekara

Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Cochrane Croatia, University of Split, School of Medicine, Split, Croatia

Ana Marusic, Irena Zakarija-Grkovic & Tina Poklepovic Pericic

Center for Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Care, Catholic University of Croatia, Ilica 242, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

Livia Puljak

Cochrane Brazil, Evidence-Based Health Program, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Vinicius Tassoni Civile & Alvaro Nagib Atallah

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IJBN conceived the research idea and worked as a project coordinator. DPOM, TCVG, HMA, IW, AM, LP, VTC, IZG, TPP, ANA, SF, NLB and MSM were involved in data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, and initial draft writing. All authors revised the manuscript critically for the content. The author(s) read and approved the final manuscript.

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Supplementary Information

Additional file 1: appendix 1..

Search strategies used in the study.

Additional file 2: Appendix 2.

Adjusted scoring of AMSTAR 2 used in this study for systematic reviews of studies that did not analyze interventions.

Additional file 3: Appendix 3.

List of excluded studies, with reasons.

Additional file 4: Appendix 4.

Table of overlapping studies, containing the list of primary studies included, their visual overlap in individual systematic reviews, and the number in how many reviews each primary study was included.

Additional file 5: Appendix 5.

A detailed explanation of AMSTAR scoring for each item in each review.

Additional file 6: Appendix 6.

List of members and affiliates of International Network of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (InterNetCOVID-19).

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Borges do Nascimento, I.J., O’Mathúna, D.P., von Groote, T.C. et al. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: an overview of systematic reviews. BMC Infect Dis 21 , 525 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06214-4

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July/August 2020 (Volume 29, Number 7)

Defending my phd thesis in the time of the coronavirus.

By Danielle Sofferman

Ten years ago I attended the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). Once I returned to my undergrad institution, at Adelphi University, I was ecstatic and eager to do research. This experience led me to become more involved in presenting at conferences and taking a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Michigan (U of M) that ultimately led me to pursue a PhD at U of M. Little did I know how the completion of my degree would unfold. In March 2020 the entire country was brought into a chaotic state where the number of COVID-19 cases were beginning to spike, businesses were forced to close and people were scrambling to stock up with as many rolls of toilet paper as possible. In the middle of this mess, I only had two more months until my PhD defense.

During my PhD studies, I worked with a home-built femtosecond Ti-Sapphire laser system that was used to create ultrafast pulses for broadband transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy of molecules in the ultraviolet-visible region. This technique involves a two-pulse sequence, where one pulse (272 nm) optically excites and another pulse (250–650 nm) probes the dynamics of the molecules after certain time delays. More specifically my studies explored the initial dynamics involved in vitamin D3 formation in simple skin membrane models during the first 500 picoseconds after excitation. The ultimate goal was to investigate the photochemistry involved in vitamin D3 formation as a function of lipid membrane parameters, such as lipid tail length, hydrogen bonding, and van der Waals interactions.

After restless days and nights of trying to maintain a stable laser system and collect data, I wanted to make my defense day even more memorable. But I never expected that it would turn out like this: it was held in the middle of a pandemic that will forever trigger memories of writing and defending my thesis. Within the months prior to the pandemic, I imagined my defense to be in the fanciest room on campus and I would provide my audience with a chocolate fountain and marshmallows next to an ice sculpture of a vitamin D3 molecule. However, those ideas quickly vanished as the COVID-19 pandemic forced my defense to be held remotely.

Danielle Sofferman

The defense took place through the BlueJeans video conference system. Instead of being in a room filled with curious eyes and chocolate covered mouths, I was in a video meeting where I felt as if I was just talking to my PowerPoint because the meeting screen was too small to display everyone that had their camera unblocked. My camera was also off until the end where I gave the acknowledgments and answered questions. I did this to narrow the connection bandwidth and to secretly refer to notes to each of the slides. The window that showed the meeting sat in the corner of my most current slide, and it blocked some of my figures. With only a single monitor, I was forced to minimize the meeting app while I spoke. My audience listened with their microphones muted to minimize the background noise and did not interrupt during the presentation. Since I wasn’t able to view my audience, the actual presentation felt more like a practice run and it wasn’t until the very last slide, where I gave my acknowledgments that the talk felt like the real thing. While my blocked camera didn’t prevent other computer glitches and new BlueJeans users from sending me permission notifications to switch who shared the screen, it did prevent showing my worried facial expressions when my PowerPoint, for some unknown reason froze multiple times. Since this was actually a real talk and not a practice, the multiple computer glitches made me feel like I was further being initiated into the world of professional physics research.

The grand finale, when I presented the most significant parts of my research also lined up with the time when the Blue Angels, honoring all the front line workers, flew directly over me on their way to Detroit. At the end of the talk, the smiles from friends, family and visual satisfactory nods from my PhD committee were lost as most people just sent “clap“ emojis and other appraisal messages through the chat window. My advisor then asked if there were any questions, the 15–30 seconds of silence felt like an eternity as I patiently waited for someone to ask anything they wanted about my research. My former labmate was the only one that asked a question. The back and forth felt similar to virtually teaching (due to the pandemic) the Math Methods discussion section that I was a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for during the past term: trying to answer a question as completely as possible while also trying to figure out who was asking the question. Now, while I didn’t get the room setup that I imagined and lost the visual interaction with my audience, the virtual setup did allow me to invite people from outside of Michigan who otherwise would have not been able to attend.

As I start to close another successful chapter in my career, my future is just as exciting as it terrifying. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down my job search and left behind a trail of canceled interviews. However, in these uncertain times I am confident that my future is brighter than the strongest pump laser that I have been working with, ~15 watts of 527 nm light, and that’s VERY bright!

Danielle Sofferman graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University in 2013. Historically Adelphi’s undergraduate population (~5,000 students) is mostly female (70% as of 2019), however the ratio of female to male students is dramatically switched in the physics department. During the 2013 graduation year, she was the only woman to graduate with a physics degree. She spent more than half of her undergraduate career studying the nonlinear optical properties of cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. She also collaborated with Eugene Hecht on writing Schaum’s Outline of College Physics, Eleventh edition, where she is acknowledged in the book. As a graduate student in the Applied Physics Program at The University of Michigan, Danielle continued with her passion for optics by working in an ultra-fast spectroscopy lab, researching how the human skin membrane influences the initial photochemistry involved in vitamin D3 formation, where the initial reactions occur on the timescale of picoseconds. She has now successfully completed her PhD in the Applied Physics Program and is searching for her next adventure. (Contact: [email protected] )

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Persuasive Essay Guide

Persuasive Essay About Covid19

How to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid19 | Examples & Tips

11 min read

Steps to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Here are the steps to help you write a persuasive essay on this topic, along with an example essay:

Step 1: Choose a Specific Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement should clearly state your position on a specific aspect of COVID-19. It should be debatable and clear. For example:

Step 2: Research and Gather Information

Collect reliable and up-to-date information from reputable sources to support your thesis statement. This may include statistics, expert opinions, and scientific studies. For instance:

COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness data
Information on vaccine mandates in different countries
Expert statements from health organizations like the WHO or CDC

Step 3: Outline Your Essay

Create a clear and organized outline to structure your essay. A persuasive essay typically follows this structure:

Introduction
Background Information
Body Paragraphs (with supporting evidence)
Counterarguments (addressing opposing views)

Step 4: Write the Introduction

In the introduction, grab your reader's attention and present your thesis statement. For example:

Step 5: Provide Background Information

Offer context and background information to help your readers understand the issue better. For instance:

Step 6: Develop Body Paragraphs

Each body paragraph should present a single point or piece of evidence that supports your thesis statement. Use clear topic sentences, evidence, and analysis. Here's an example:

Step 7: Address Counterarguments

Acknowledge opposing viewpoints and refute them with strong counterarguments. This demonstrates that you've considered different perspectives. For example:

Step 8: Write the Conclusion

Summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement in the conclusion. End with a strong call to action or thought-provoking statement. For instance:

Step 9: Revise and Proofread

Edit your essay for clarity, coherence, grammar, and spelling errors. Ensure that your argument flows logically.

Step 10: Cite Your Sources

Include proper citations and a bibliography page to give credit to your sources.

Remember to adjust your approach and arguments based on your target audience and the specific angle you want to take in your persuasive essay about COVID-19.

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Examples of Persuasive Essay About Covid19

When writing a persuasive essay about the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s important to consider how you want to present your argument. To help you get started, here are some example essays for you to read:

Check out some more PDF examples below:

Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 Pandemic

Sample Of Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 In The Philippines - Example

If you're in search of a compelling persuasive essay on business, don't miss out on our “ persuasive essay about business ” blog!

Examples of Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 Vaccine

Covid19 vaccines are one of the ways to prevent the spread of Covid-19, but they have been a source of controversy. Different sides argue about the benefits or dangers of the new vaccines. Whatever your point of view is, writing a persuasive essay about it is a good way of organizing your thoughts and persuading others.

A persuasive essay about the Covid-19 vaccine could consider the benefits of getting vaccinated as well as the potential side effects.

Below are some examples of persuasive essays on getting vaccinated for Covid-19.

Covid19 Vaccine Persuasive Essay

Persuasive Essay on Covid Vaccines

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Examples of Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 Integration

Covid19 has drastically changed the way people interact in schools, markets, and workplaces. In short, it has affected all aspects of life. However, people have started to learn to live with Covid19.

Writing a persuasive essay about it shouldn't be stressful. Read the sample essay below to get idea for your own essay about Covid19 integration.

Persuasive Essay About Working From Home During Covid19

Searching for the topic of Online Education? Our persuasive essay about online education is a must-read.

Examples of Argumentative Essay About Covid 19

Covid-19 has been an ever-evolving issue, with new developments and discoveries being made on a daily basis.

Writing an argumentative essay about such an issue is both interesting and challenging. It allows you to evaluate different aspects of the pandemic, as well as consider potential solutions.

Here are some examples of argumentative essays on Covid19.

Argumentative Essay About Covid19 Sample

Argumentative Essay About Covid19 With Introduction Body and Conclusion

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Examples of Persuasive Speeches About Covid-19

Do you need to prepare a speech about Covid19 and need examples? We have them for you!

Persuasive speeches about Covid-19 can provide the audience with valuable insights on how to best handle the pandemic. They can be used to advocate for specific changes in policies or simply raise awareness about the virus.

Check out some examples of persuasive speeches on Covid-19:

Persuasive Speech About Covid-19 Example

Persuasive Speech About Vaccine For Covid-19

You can also read persuasive essay examples on other topics to master your persuasive techniques!

Tips to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Writing a persuasive essay about COVID-19 requires a thoughtful approach to present your arguments effectively.

Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling persuasive essay on this topic:

Choose a Specific Angle

Start by narrowing down your focus. COVID-19 is a broad topic, so selecting a specific aspect or issue related to it will make your essay more persuasive and manageable. For example, you could focus on vaccination, public health measures, the economic impact, or misinformation.

Provide Credible Sources

Support your arguments with credible sources such as scientific studies, government reports, and reputable news outlets. Reliable sources enhance the credibility of your essay.

Use Persuasive Language

Employ persuasive techniques, such as ethos (establishing credibility), pathos (appealing to emotions), and logos (using logic and evidence). Use vivid examples and anecdotes to make your points relatable.

Organize Your Essay

Structure your essay involves creating a persuasive essay outline and establishing a logical flow from one point to the next. Each paragraph should focus on a single point, and transitions between paragraphs should be smooth and logical.

Emphasize Benefits

Highlight the benefits of your proposed actions or viewpoints. Explain how your suggestions can improve public health, safety, or well-being. Make it clear why your audience should support your position.

Use Visuals -H3

Incorporate graphs, charts, and statistics when applicable. Visual aids can reinforce your arguments and make complex data more accessible to your readers.

Call to Action

End your essay with a strong call to action. Encourage your readers to take a specific step or consider your viewpoint. Make it clear what you want them to do or think after reading your essay.

Revise and Edit

Proofread your essay for grammar, spelling, and clarity. Make sure your arguments are well-structured and that your writing flows smoothly.

Seek Feedback

Have someone else read your essay to get feedback. They may offer valuable insights and help you identify areas where your persuasive techniques can be improved.

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Common Topics for a Persuasive Essay on COVID-19

Here are some persuasive essay topics on COVID-19:

The Importance of Vaccination Mandates for COVID-19 Control
Balancing Public Health and Personal Freedom During a Pandemic
The Economic Impact of Lockdowns vs. Public Health Benefits
The Role of Misinformation in Fueling Vaccine Hesitancy
Remote Learning vs. In-Person Education: What's Best for Students?
The Ethics of Vaccine Distribution: Prioritizing Vulnerable Populations
The Mental Health Crisis Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Healthcare Systems
Global Cooperation vs. Vaccine Nationalism in Fighting the Pandemic
The Future of Telemedicine: Expanding Healthcare Access Post-COVID-19

In search of more inspiring topics for your next persuasive essay? Our persuasive essay topics blog has plenty of ideas!

To sum it up,

You have read good sample essays and got some helpful tips. You now have the tools you needed to write a persuasive essay about Covid-19. So don't let the doubts stop you, start writing!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any ethical considerations when writing a persuasive essay about covid-19.

Yes, there are ethical considerations when writing a persuasive essay about COVID-19. It's essential to ensure the information is accurate, not contribute to misinformation, and be sensitive to the pandemic's impact on individuals and communities. Additionally, respecting diverse viewpoints and emphasizing public health benefits can promote ethical communication.

What impact does COVID-19 have on society?

The impact of COVID-19 on society is far-reaching. It has led to job and economic losses, an increase in stress and mental health disorders, and changes in education systems. It has also had a negative effect on social interactions, as people have been asked to limit their contact with others.

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The complexity of managing COVID-19: How important is good governance?

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Alaka m. basu , amb alaka m. basu professor, department of global development - cornell university, senior fellow - united nations foundation kaushik basu , and kaushik basu nonresident senior fellow - global economy and development @kaushikcbasu jose maria u. tapia jmut jose maria u. tapia student - cornell university.

November 17, 2020

13 min read

This essay is part of “ Reimagining the global economy: Building back better in a post-COVID-19 world ,” a collection of 12 essays presenting new ideas to guide policies and shape debates in a post-COVID-19 world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inadequacy of public health systems worldwide, casting a shadow that we could not have imagined even a year ago. As the fog of confusion lifts and we begin to understand the rudiments of how the virus behaves, the end of the pandemic is nowhere in sight. The number of cases and the deaths continue to rise. The latter breached the 1 million mark a few weeks ago and it looks likely now that, in terms of severity, this pandemic will surpass the Asian Flu of 1957-58 and the Hong Kong Flu of 1968-69.

Moreover, a parallel problem may well exceed the direct death toll from the virus. We are referring to the growing economic crises globally, and the prospect that these may hit emerging economies especially hard.

The economic fall-out is not entirely the direct outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic but a result of how we have responded to it—what measures governments took and how ordinary people, workers, and firms reacted to the crisis. The government activism to contain the virus that we saw this time exceeds that in previous such crises, which may have dampened the spread of the COVID-19 but has extracted a toll from the economy.

This essay takes stock of the policies adopted by governments in emerging economies, and what effect these governance strategies may have had, and then speculates about what the future is likely to look like and what we may do here on.

Nations that build walls to keep out goods, people and talent will get out-competed by other nations in the product market.

It is becoming clear that the scramble among several emerging economies to imitate and outdo European and North American countries was a mistake. We get a glimpse of this by considering two nations continents apart, the economies of which have been among the hardest hit in the world, namely, Peru and India. During the second quarter of 2020, Peru saw an annual growth of -30.2 percent and India -23.9 percent. From the global Q2 data that have emerged thus far, Peru and India are among the four slowest growing economies in the world. Along with U.K and Tunisia these are the only nations that lost more than 20 percent of their GDP. 1

COVID-19-related mortality statistics, and, in particular, the Crude Mortality Rate (CMR), however imperfect, are the most telling indicator of the comparative scale of the pandemic in different countries. At first glance, from the end of October 2020, Peru, with 1039 COVID-19 deaths per million population looks bad by any standard and much worse than India with 88. Peru’s CMR is currently among the highest reported globally.

However, both Peru and India need to be placed in regional perspective. For reasons that are likely to do with the history of past diseases, there are striking regional differences in the lethality of the virus (Figure 11.1). South America is worse hit than any other world region, and Asia and Africa seem to have got it relatively lightly, in contrast to Europe and America. The stark regional difference cries out for more epidemiological analysis. But even as we await that, these are differences that cannot be ignored.

To understand the effect of policy interventions, it is therefore important to look at how these countries fare within their own regions, which have had similar histories of illnesses and viruses (Figure 11.2). Both Peru and India do much worse than the neighbors with whom they largely share their social, economic, ecological and demographic features. Peru’s COVID-19 mortality rate per million population, or CMR, of 1039 is ahead of the second highest, Brazil at 749, and almost twice that of Argentina at 679.

Similarly, India at 88 compares well with Europe and the U.S., as does virtually all of Asia and Africa, but is doing much worse than its neighbors, with the second worst country in the region, Afghanistan, experiencing less than half the death rate of India.

The official Indian statement that up to 78,000 deaths 2 were averted by the lockdown has been criticized 3 for its assumptions. A more reasonable exercise is to estimate the excess deaths experienced by a country that breaks away from the pattern of its regional neighbors. So, for example, if India had experienced Afghanistan’s COVID-19 mortality rate, it would by now have had 54,112 deaths. And if it had the rate reported by Bangladesh, it would have had 49,950 deaths from COVID-19 today. In other words, more than half its current toll of some 122,099 COVID-19 deaths would have been avoided if it had experienced the same virus hit as its neighbors.

What might explain this outlier experience of COVID-19 CMRs and economic downslide in India and Peru? If the regional background conditions are broadly similar, one is left to ask if it is in fact the policy response that differed markedly and might account for these relatively poor outcomes.

Peru and India have performed poorly in terms of GDP growth rate in Q2 2020 among the countries displayed in Table 2, and given that both these countries are often treated as case studies of strong governance, this draws attention to the fact that there may be a dissonance between strong governance and good governance.

The turnaround for India has been especially surprising, given that until a few years ago it was among the three fastest growing economies in the world. The slowdown began in 2016, though the sharp downturn, sharper than virtually all other countries, occurred after the lockdown.

On the COVID-19 policy front, both India and Peru have become known for what the Oxford University’s COVID Policy Tracker 4 calls the “stringency” of the government’s response to the epidemic. At 8 pm on March 24, 2020, the Indian government announced, with four hours’ notice, a complete nationwide shutdown. Virtually all movement outside the perimeter of one’s home was officially sought to be brought to a standstill. Naturally, as described in several papers, such as that of Ray and Subramanian, 5 this meant that most economic life also came to a sudden standstill, which in turn meant that hundreds of millions of workers in the informal, as well as more marginally formal sectors, lost their livelihoods.

In addition, tens of millions of these workers, being migrant workers in places far-flung from their original homes, also lost their temporary homes and their savings with these lost livelihoods, so that the only safe space that beckoned them was their place of origin in small towns and villages often hundreds of miles away from their places of work.

After a few weeks of precarious living in their migrant destinations, they set off, on foot since trains and buses had been stopped, for these towns and villages, creating a “lockdown and scatter” that spread the virus from the city to the town and the town to the village. Indeed, “lockdown” is a bit of a misnomer for what happened in India, since over 20 million people did exactly the opposite of what one does in a lockdown. Thus India had a strange combination of lockdown some and scatter the rest, like in no other country. They spilled out and scattered in ways they would otherwise not do. It is not surprising that the infection, which was marginally present in rural areas (23 percent in April), now makes up some 54 percent of all cases in India. 6

In Peru too, the lockdown was sudden, nationwide, long drawn out and stringent. 7 Jobs were lost, financial aid was difficult to disburse, migrant workers were forced to return home, and the virus has now spread to all parts of the country with death rates from it surpassing almost every other part of the world.

As an aside, to think about ways of implementing lockdowns that are less stringent and geographically as well as functionally less total, an example from yet another continent is instructive. Ethiopia, with a COVID-19 death rate of 13 per million population seems to have bettered the already relatively low African rate of 31 in Table 1. 8

We hope that human beings will emerge from this crisis more aware of the problems of sustainability.

The way forward

We next move from the immediate crisis to the medium term. Where is the world headed and how should we deal with the new world? Arguably, that two sectors that will emerge larger and stronger in the post-pandemic world are: digital technology and outsourcing, and healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The last 9 months of the pandemic have been a huge training ground for people in the use of digital technology—Zoom, WebEx, digital finance, and many others. This learning-by-doing exercise is likely to give a big boost to outsourcing, which has the potential to help countries like India, the Philippines, and South Africa.

Globalization may see a short-run retreat but, we believe, it will come back with a vengeance. Nations that build walls to keep out goods, people and talent will get out-competed by other nations in the product market. This realization will make most countries reverse their knee-jerk anti-globalization; and the ones that do not will cease to be important global players. Either way, globalization will be back on track and with a much greater amount of outsourcing.

To return, more critically this time, to our earlier aside on Ethiopia, its historical and contemporary record on tampering with internet connectivity 9 in an attempt to muzzle inter-ethnic tensions and political dissent will not serve it well in such a post-pandemic scenario. This is a useful reminder for all emerging market economies.

We hope that human beings will emerge from this crisis more aware of the problems of sustainability. This could divert some demand from luxury goods to better health, and what is best described as “creative consumption”: art, music, and culture. 10 The former will mean much larger healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

But to take advantage of these new opportunities, nations will need to navigate the current predicament so that they have a viable economy once the pandemic passes. Thus it is important to be able to control the pandemic while keeping the economy open. There is some emerging literature 11 on this, but much more is needed. This is a governance challenge of a kind rarely faced, because the pandemic has disrupted normal markets and there is need, at least in the short run, for governments to step in to fill the caveat.

Emerging economies will have to devise novel governance strategies for doing this double duty of tamping down on new infections without strident controls on economic behavior and without blindly imitating Europe and America.

Here is an example. One interesting opportunity amidst this chaos is to tap into the “resource” of those who have already had COVID-19 and are immune, even if only in the short-term—we still have no definitive evidence on the length of acquired immunity. These people can be offered a high salary to work in sectors that require physical interaction with others. This will help keep supply chains unbroken. Normally, the market would have on its own caused such a salary increase but in this case, the main benefit of marshaling this labor force is on the aggregate economy and GDP and therefore is a classic case of positive externality, which the free market does not adequately reward. It is more a challenge of governance. As with most economic policy, this will need careful research and design before being implemented. We have to be aware that a policy like this will come with its risk of bribery and corruption. There is also the moral hazard challenge of poor people choosing to get COVID-19 in order to qualify for these special jobs. Safeguards will be needed against these risks. But we believe that any government that succeeds in implementing an intelligently-designed intervention to draw on this huge, under-utilized resource can have a big, positive impact on the economy 12 .

This is just one idea. We must innovate in different ways to survive the crisis and then have the ability to navigate the new world that will emerge, hopefully in the not too distant future.

‘Landmark in survey research’: How the COVID States Project analyzed the pandemic with objectivity

Four years ago David Lazer formed the Northeastern-led effort — resulting in more than 100 cutting-edge reports and national media coverage.

David Lazer ran into a fellow Northeastern University professor Alessandro Vespignani . It was February 2020. One month before the COVID-19 shutdowns.

“I said, ‘Tell me: How bad is it going to be?’” says Lazer, University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Computer Sciences at Northeastern. “And he laid out how bad it would be.”

They were facing a life-changing event, warned Vespignani, director of the Network Science Institute and Sternberg Family Distinguished Professor at Northeastern. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was spreading fast throughout the U.S. and beyond just three months after its emergence in Wuhan, China.

“He talked about how things were going to shut down over the following month and how there was going to be an indefinite time of having to modify our lives in order to protect ourselves individually and collectively,” Lazer recalls of that conversation. “He really got the broad parameters spot on.

“I obviously was quite distressed. I was thinking, ‘What can I do to contribute to the moment?’”

The answer would become known as the COVID States Project , a Northeastern-led effort by four universities that would analyze newly collected data in order to make sense of the evolving and volatile COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the next four years the project would put out more than 100 reports — all relevant to urgent issues — that were reflected by media coverage across the country.

Sharing their expertise across a variety of fields — computational social science, network science, public opinion polling, epidemiology, public health, psychiatry, communication and political science — the researchers framed and conducted surveys that enabled them to identify national and regional trends that influenced (and were influenced by) the spread of the virus.

“It was an act of improvisation — we didn’t know exactly what we were going to do,” Lazer says. “But we felt quite committed to having a positive impact and using our tools, our skill set, to do something during this horrible moment.”Built into their real-time research was an understanding that social behaviors would play a large role in a pandemic that has claimed close to 1.2 million lives nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (though there is reason to believe many more people have died ).

The project’s surveys and reports reflected national moods and trends while also providing reliable information for policymakers at a time when the future was difficult to predict.

“David, being a political scientist, told me that he had this idea that a survey would be helpful,” says Mauricio Santillana , an original member of the COVID States Project who has since joined Northeastern as director of the Machine Intelligence Group for the betterment of Health and the Environment (MIGHTE) at the Network Science Institute. “I told him it was very appropriate because rather than seeing a population reaction to a public health crisis, the pandemic was evolving into a sociological problem — one where people were reacting more from their political views rather than scientific evidence.

“He had this idea of having a project where we could monitor people’s feelings, emotions and their changing behaviors in response to pronounced increases in COVID-19 infections and we could record their political affiliations,” adds Santillana, who was focused on mathematically modeling the pandemic. “The project became a really important tool for me to understand why things were getting worse and worse.”

Their work was based in objectivity — the need to respect all points of view while prioritizing understanding and dismissing judgment.

“By shedding light on things in a way that has visibility,” Lazer says, “one hopes that you are informing individual people who are reading about our stories in the media as well as policy elites about what decisions should be made.”

‘The best data out there’

It began with Lazer contacting colleagues at other universities. The COVID States Project became an effort coordinated by Lazer, Santillana, Matthew Baum and Roy Perlis of Harvard, Katherine Ognyanova of Rutgers and James Druckman of Northwestern. Weekly meetings were held at 10 a.m. on Fridays as the project grew to include undergraduate and postdoctoral students — all contributing on a volunteer basis.

“We went out into the field in April and we started collecting data,” Lazer says. “We realized that we could get useful results for all 50 states. We could see the numbers pile up and that was an exciting moment, like, maybe this thing can actually work.”

Northeastern provided the startup funding (and many of the volunteers, and much of the person power, as authors of project reports included three postdoctoral fellows and six students from Northeastern). Additional financial support would come from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and other supporters that enabled the project to grow and expand. The project’s work on COVID-19 is continuing even now.

“We’re still putting out data on vaccination rates and infection rates,” says Lazer, whose team relied on a third-party vendor for online surveys that represent a new frontier for public polling. “It turns out that our data are better than the official data, because the official data are seriously flawed in important ways.”

Those official numbers can be faulty because individual states have difficulty linking residents with the number of vaccinations they’ve received, says Lazer.

The COVID States Project team has learned how to not only frame questions with the precision to deal with relevant issues, but also to re-weigh the answers to provide representative analysis.

“If you want to know the vaccination rates of a given state, I think our data are the best data out there,” Lazer says. “It’s pretty mind-blowing that we have done 1,400 to 1,500 state-level surveys.”

Initial efforts were focused on understanding the basics of the pandemic. While all 50 states were developing plans to reopen for business in June 2020, the project found that most people preferred a more cautious approach, with only 15% of respondents favoring an immediate reopening.

“The project is a landmark in survey research,” says Alexi Quintana Mathé , a fourth-year Ph.D. student working with Lazer at Northeastern. “We surveyed more than 20,000 respondents roughly every month, with viable samples in every U.S. state and good representativity of the general population. This allowed us to closely monitor behaviors, opinions and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country with a special focus on differences by state, which were particularly relevant during the pandemic.”

Their work was able to show that Black people waited longer for test results than other people in the U.S.

“It’s important to illuminate and create accountability,” Lazer says.

The project’s tracking of social distance behaviors in October 2020 helped predict which states would experience surges the following month.

A survey in summer 2020 accurately predicted the rates of people who would submit to vaccinations when the shots became available that December. Another survey was able to show which demographic groups would be reluctant to be vaccinated.

“The team found that concerns over vaccine safety, as well as distrust, were key reasons [for reluctance],” says Kristin Lunz Trujillo, now a University of South Carolina assistant professor of political science who worked on the COVID States Project as a Northeastern postdoctoral fellow. “This report sparked a lot of other ongoing work on the project and gave a fuller picture of COVID vaccine hesitancy than what our typical survey measures provided.”

“People still needed to be convinced, and I think that was a very natural response,” says Santillana, a Northeastern professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering. “The fact that people were concerned about their health when being exposed to a vaccine is a natural thing. But that was being interpreted as, ‘Oh, then you are a denier.’ There was no room to be a normal person who wants to learn as we experience things. For me, being a mathematician and physicist and hearing my political-scientist colleagues discussing issues of trust in medical research and medical professionals, it became a multidisciplinary learning experience.”

A constructive role by academia

In the midst of their COVID-19 work, the researchers delved into other major U.S. events. They were able to identify the demographics of the widespread Black Lives Matter protests that followed the May 2020 murder of George Floyd. And they were able to show that those outdoor protests did not result in upsurges of pandemic-related illness.

“The diverse expertise of scientists on the project meant that we could investigate public health issues both broadly and deeply,” says Alauna Safarpour, a Northeastern postdoctoral contributor to the project who now serves as assistant professor of political science at Gettysburg College. “We not only analyzed misinformation related to the pandemic, vaccine skepticism and depression/mental health concerns, but also abortion attitudes, support for political violence and even racism as a public health concern.”

In anticipation of the role that mail-in ballots would play in the 2020 election, the project anticipated which state results would change as the late-arriving votes were counted.

“We had a piece predicting the shift after Election Day,” Lazer says. “We said there’s going to be a shift towards Biden in some states and it will be a very large shift — and we got the states right, we got the estimates right.

“We were trying to prepare people that there was nothing fishy going on here. That this is what is expected.”

After the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, the project predicted accurately that Donald Trump would retain his influence as leader of the Republic Party.

“There were a lot of people right after Jan. 6 who said Trump is finished,” Lazer says. “We went into the field a couple of days later, did a survey and we said, ‘The [typical] Republican believes the election was stolen and says Trump’s endorsement would still matter a lot.’”

The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 was followed by a COVID States Project report accurately forecasting a Democratic backlash .

“There’s a story here around the constructive role that academia can play in moments of crisis — the tools that we have are really quite practical,” Lazer says. “As the information ecosystem of our country has diminished — we see the news media firing people left and right — there is a role for universities to take some of that capacity for creating knowledge and translating that to help with the crises of the day.”

Next up: CHIP50

“It uncovered the impact of the social and political changes that Americans went through over the last four years at the national level, but more importantly it broke down the findings to demographic and regional groups,” says Ata Aydin Uslu , a third-year Ph.D. student at the Lazer Lab at Northeastern. “I see CSP as a successful attempt to mic up the American public. We enabled Americans to make their point to the local and federal decision-makers, and the decision-makers to make informed decisions and resource allocations — something that was of utmost importance during a once-in-a-century crisis.”

Entering its fifth year, the project is taking on an identity to reflect the changing times. The newly named Civic Health and Institutions Project, a 50 States Survey (CHIP50) is building on the lessons learned by the COVID States Project team during the pandemic.

“The idea is to institutionalize the notion of doing 50 state surveys in a federal country,” Lazer says. “We have this perspective on states that no other research ever has.”

Their ongoing work will include competitions to add questions from outside scholars, Lazer says. “We’re still going to issue reports, but less often, and we’re going to be turning more to scholarship while still trying to get that translational element of what does this mean, what people should think, what policymakers should do and so on.”

During a recent interview, as Lazer is recounting the work of the past four years via a Zoom call, his head is bobbing back and forth. When the pandemic forced him to isolate, he explains, he made a habit of working while walking a treadmill in his attic. At times he was responding to the pressures of the pandemic by working 16 hours while logging 40,000 steps daily — and developing plantar fasciitis along the way.

“All of this has made me think much more about the underlying sociological and psychological realities of how people process information — and the role that trust in particular plays,” Lazer says. “It has really shaped my thinking about what is core in understanding politics.”

Ian Thomsen is a Northeastern Global News reporter. Email him at [email protected] . Follow him on X/Twitter @IanatNU .

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1 Department of Psychology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States
2 General Engineering Program, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States
3 Center for Population Studies, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States
4 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States
5 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States

Introduction: Student parents, both undergraduate and graduate, face the difficult task of balancing their studies and raising children, and they are a population often neglected or forgotten by higher education administration. The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced already present issues student parents face through the implementation of virtual schooling, increased daycare costs and closings, staying home with sick children, and a lack of local support system, among others. Further, many student parents are graduate students who are performing research that requires physical campus space and equipment to fulfill their educational requirements, and their research progress come to a halt when the country locked down.

Methods: This study explored the struggles student parents faced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, what issues the pandemic exacerbated, and what new problems have since arisen. Participants completed surveys assessing the consequences of being a student parent during the pandemic, coping resources available to them, the effect of being a student parent during the pandemic on their mental health, and demographic information.

Results: Prevalent themes include substantial declines in mental health, feelings of inadequacy in regards to both their parenting and academic abilities compared to their non-student parent peers, and a striking lack of resources or acknowledgement from their institution.

Discussion: The survey results are framed within the social-ecological model to better understand the systemic implications of student parent conditions. Finally, we formulate a set of recommendations to higher education administrations to inform them about the unique struggles student parents face and suggest strategies for mitigation.

Introduction

The group of students within higher education that also navigate the difficult role of parent are a relatively understudied group. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a growing literature on higher education student parents ( Wainwright and Marandet, 2010 ; Moreau and Kerner, 2015 ; Moreau, 2016a , b ). This literature articulates several sets of challenges faced by student parents, namely in the United States and Great Britain. Broadly, the literature describes a subset of the higher education student population that faces situations unlike that of their non-student parent counterparts where they perform the challenging task of balancing their studies and raising children ( Brooks, 2012 ; Moreau and Kerner, 2015 ; Sallee, 2015 ). The addition of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced many new problems for student parents and exacerbated existing systemic challenges. Yet, a limited number of studies have emerged exploring the differential impact of COVID-19 on this marginalized group of students ( Abbas et al., 2021 ; Lin et al., 2022 ; Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ; Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ; Sallee and Yates, 2023 ). These studies focus on student parent experiences at the height of the pandemic. This article hopes to explore, in tandem with these previous studies, the broad set of challenges experienced by student parents, but over the course of COVID-19 and the brief “post”-pandemic period as students were being reintroduced to campuses.

Literature review

The population of students who are also parents might seem small to non-student parent counterparts and higher education administration due to their lack of visibility, but literature shows that “approximately 3.8 million (22% of all) undergraduate students in the US are raising children” ( Lin et al., 2022 ; Todd, 2023 ). The literature demonstrates that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of student parents struggled to cope with existing financial insecurity due to the cost of raising children in the current economic climate ( Gerrard and Roberts, 2006 ; Gault et al., 2018 ). One source reports that over two thirds of the student parent population live in or near poverty ( Cruse et al., 2020 ), demonstrating the financial strain experienced by student parents. Further, the literature also confirms that the majority of student parents experience financial strain due to childcare costs ( Demeules and Hamer, 2013 ; Long, 2017 ; Sallee and Cox, 2019 ; Ajayi et al., 2022 ; Sallee and Yates, 2023 ). Graduate student parents at Stanford faced an existing affordability crisis even before the pandemic ( The Stanford Daily, 2020 ), and the addition of the pandemic served to worsen the existing insecurity.

In addition to financial insecurity plaguing student parents, the literature also confirms a lack of resources in place to aid student parents with the unique issues they face. Historically speaking, higher education institutions are designed to serve students whose primary role is being a student and who likely does not have competing priorities of that magnitude ( Medved and Heisler, 2002 ; Roy et al., 2018 ; Manze et al., 2021 ; Reed et al., 2021 ). The literature finds that compared to traditional college students, student parents are navigating systems that fail to account for the diversity of their needs ( Estes, 2011 ; Brooks, 2013 ; Manze et al., 2021 ; Ajayi et al., 2022 ; Briegel et al., 2023 ; Sallee and Yates, 2023 ). Further, in a study conducted of student mothers, it was found that “89% of students could not identify the support available to student parents” and the department chairs themselves could not identify any university services in place to help student parents cope ( Holm et al., 2015 ). The lack of resources available to student parents both before and during the pandemic places student parents at a disadvantage from their non-student parent counterparts, putting them at risk of falling behind academically. In cases where resources are available, the translation of their availability to student parents is not well-defined or communicated. Lin finds that “approximately 75% of student parents are uninformed that their financial aid could be increased to account for childcare costs” ( Lin et al., 2022 ). The existence of resources for student parents alone is not enough to mitigate the challenges they face; they must also be clearly and widely communicated with student parents.

Mental health is also a particular challenge for student parents. While attending college or university can be difficult for any student, and mental health is of particular concern, the additional stress of parenting creates unique and acute mental health challenges for student parents ( Brooks, 2015 ; Abbas et al., 2021 ; Cho et al., 2021 ). This stress has many sources, but unique to student parents is the guilt of prioritizing one’s needs above social expectations of parenting, particularly for mothers ( Brooks, 2015 ; Moreau, 2016a , b ).

The pandemic greatly disrupted the lives of student parents and, in addition to exacerbating those already articulated in the literature, introduced new hurdles for student parents. The transition to remote activities during the pandemic forced student parents to juggle working from home with taking care of their children ( Moreau and Kerner, 2015 ; Lin et al., 2022 ; Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ). Due to the loss of uninterrupted, designated work time while working from home, student parents often felt guilty for not spending enough time with their children or on their work ( Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ). Student parents also struggled finding childcare during this time as daycare closures were frequent occurrences, and this greatly impacted the academic performance of many student parents ( Sallee and Yates, 2023 ). Further, the burden typically falls more on student mothers rather than student fathers ( Sallee and Yates, 2023 ). The literature finds that “instead of writing papers, [student mothers] are likely to devote time to homeschooling children and doing household chores” ( Staniscuaski et al., 2020 ).

The goal of this research is to explore the unique barriers student parents faced in the COVID-19 pandemic context and provide some nuance to existing recommendations for higher education systems for supporting these student parents in a post-pandemic state. The literature demonstrates a clear call to action in order to help student parents navigate the pre-existing challenges they experience and provide targeted support to help them cope with the unforeseen challenges introduced by the pandemic. The motivation behind these measures is to not only improve the academic success of student parents, but also the overall well-being of student parents by prioritizing their needs.

Social-ecological model

A conceptual framework that will aid in understanding the context of student parent experiences during the pandemic is the social-ecological model introduced in 1979 by Bronfenbrenner (1979) . The social-ecological model is broken into four overlapping categories—individual, relationship, community, and societal factors—in order to understand how the social environments of individuals affect each other in a dynamic fashion and how those emergent interconnections shape one’s development ( Bronfenbrenner, 1979 ; ATSDR, 2015 ; Kilanowski, 2017 ). On the individual level, personal history and biological factors are viewed in order to help understand why a person feels or acts a certain way ( Kilanowski, 2017 ). The identity of the participant is used in order to help fill this space with important information such as their age, income, educational background, gender, ethnic affiliation, social class, and religious affiliation. For the purposes of this study, the individual is the student parent. The relationship category focuses on how important close relationships are to an individual and how they can affect a person’s response to a situation ( Kilanowski, 2017 ). For student parents, this includes their familial relationships, such as to their child, spouse/partner, and other family members; their peer relationships, such as to friends or other student parents; and their academic relationships, such as to their professors, academic mentors, and research advisors ( Briegel et al., 2023 ). The community level includes the broader areas in which an individual has these social relationships, such as schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, and religious places ( Kilanowski, 2017 ). A student parent’s community may look vastly different from another student parent depending on the resources and relationships they have. In theory, there are groups of student parents within various institutions that would constitute a “student parent community”; however, the lack of organization and knowledge of this student population by higher education administrations is limited at best, rendering this community invisible in many instances ( Todd, 2023 ). The last category of this model includes broad societal factors that influence an individual, such as healthcare, finances, political policies, and education that can affect how a person makes decisions regarding their community, relationships, and individual goals ( Kilanowski, 2017 ). For a student parent, this could include perceptions of student parents by society, traditional gender roles, laws and policies in higher education, and government regulations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic ( Briegel et al., 2023 ; Sallee and Yates, 2023 ).

The social-ecological model (SEM) correlates well with this research because each branch is incorporated into the participants’ lifestyles and have an interconnected influence on the outcome of the other ( Ajayi et al., 2022 ). Each student parent has individual identities that caused them to be affected by the pandemic mentally and have different experiences from their peers. They also have relationships with their significant others, professors, advisors, daycare teachers, and family members that can influence mental, physical, and social shifts that propagate to multiple areas of their lives ( Ajayi et al., 2022 ). Student parents are a community itself, but each student also belongs in a community uniquely defined by their social and familial relationships, background, culture, and personal experiences ( Sallee and Yates, 2023 ). In addition, societal factors in the student parents’ lives shift their ability to adapt to the changes that they had to face when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, such as parents contracting COVID-19, needing to take care of a sick loved one, or the resources available to them ( Todd, 2023 ). Educationally, these student parents had to change their methods and environment for learning ( Todd, 2023 ). Further, multiple studies surrounding student populations utilize the SEM to contextualize the results of their studies. Lisnyj et al. used the SEM to explore which factors affect post-secondary students’ stress and academic success ( Lisnyj et al., 2021 ). The SEM has also been used to explore how different levels of the model affect COVID-19 infection preventative behaviors ( Vilme et al., 2022 ). Another study that has ties between the SEM and college students breaks down the barriers and enablers to a healthy diet in college students into the individual level, social level, and community levels in order to explain how these factors affect a college student’s experience ( Sogari et al., 2018 ). In this study, the SEM will serve as a platform for understanding the complex emergence of barriers that arose for student parents during the pandemic and for formulating recommendations to higher education officials to aid student parents under “normal” conditions but also those in times of crisis.

Materials and methods

This mixed-methods exploratory study utilized a community-based participatory approach to investigating student parents’ views and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and their return to campus. The research team first engaged with key stakeholders on the university campus, namely student parent campus leaders in a focus group format. During this engagement, student parent leaders expressed an interest in collecting data that would help them and university administration understand key concerns or challenges student parents navigated on campus and how those challenges might be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. During these focus groups, student parent leaders and the research team developed the research questions that ultimately shaped the project. This engagement was the basis for the preliminary survey developed by the research team. The survey was vetted by student parents before deployment.

This specific combination of mixed methods—focus group followed by survey—has been employed successfully by other studies of student parents before and during the pandemic. This approach allows a research team to engage a relatively small population in a robust way and to be inclusive of their limited ability to commit time to participating in a study ( King, 2022 ; Briegel et al., 2023 ; Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ; Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ). Todd purports that it can be “challenging to engage with an ‘invisible’ cohort,” and there are “no provisions at the institutional level to gather data on student parents” ( Todd, 2023 ). In addition, online surveys enable data collection due to irregularities in childcare availability due to pandemic restrictions and/or illness and grant flexibility in finishing the survey due to school and parent responsibilities ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ; Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ). Thus, our study approach was used to yield a complementary view of student parents’ various experiences while providing an inclusive and accessible format to accommodate their unique needs ( Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004 ; Shorten and Smith, 2017 ; Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ).

Survey design and administration

The survey, co-developed by the research team and student parents, was anonymized and distributed online via Qualtrics. The online approach was deemed most prudent during the COVID-19 pandemic as it also provided survey participants a flexible timeline for completion given the many demands of their multiple roles ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ; Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ). Anonymity was important to mitigate feelings of pressure or judgment by having someone watch them complete a task or answer questions ( Su, 2022 ). Also based on previous literature focused on student parents, as well as stakeholder engagement, anonymity was crucial given the real or perceived potential consequences of speaking out about unfair or unjust practices within the student parents’ working and learning environments ( Su, 2022 ).

The survey was comprised of 35 questions broken down into five categories: (1) Demographics, (2) Effect on Mental Health, (3) Pandemic Consequences, (4) Coping Resources, and (5) Recommendations. These categories were based on engagement with stakeholders and consultation of the existing literature on student parent experiences. The project received IRB-approval from University of Mississippi’s Institutional Review Board (protocol 22x-096).

Demographic questions included: participants’ age, relationship status, self-reported gender, ethnicity, employment status, family’s COVID-19 vaccination status, and current educational level (undergraduate or graduate level). The number of children and the individual’s family financial status were also gathered during this portion of the survey.

The Effects on Mental Health section gave the participants an opportunity to describe how the pandemic affected their mental health. The Pandemic Consequences section focused on changes student parents experienced in childcare decision-making and how they handled their school obligations due to the pandemic. Uniquely, and importantly, this section sought to collect data to compare experiences at different snapshots in time across a novel global pandemic, including during the height of the pandemic and upon return to in-person operations. The next set of questions focused on coping resources student parents received or did not receive while being a student parent. The final section of the survey was a qualitative open-ended question for student parents to identify potential solutions or provide additional context that might further clarify their responses.

It took participants between 10 and 15 min to complete the survey, and there was no financial compensation involved for completing the survey. Given the dearth of literature on the impact of COVID-19 on student parents, this survey is exploratory. In order to reach a broad audience in an online only environment, the survey was administered via the University of Mississippi’s email system. Additionally, the survey was sent to several other [Southeastern Conference: athletic conference] schools for consideration by the student affairs personnel for dissemination to their student body, as well as through the Twitter social media platform. Inclusion criteria for the survey included: (a) being 18 years of age or older, (b) being a student parent, and (c) being willing to completely finish the survey. If a respondent selected that they were under the age of 18 and/or not a student parent, then the survey automatically ended for them. For the purposes of this study, “student parent” was defined as anyone who currently had a minor dependent living with them.

Analysis of survey data

The small sample size and the exploratory, rather than explanatory, nature of the study supported the use of descriptive statistics ( Maguire and Delahunt, 2017 ). Qualitative responses were analyzed using iterative qualitative thematic coding within the context of the social-ecological model. The qualitative thematic coding approach identified patterns across the qualitative survey responses to provide a systematic interpretation of participants’ experiences and perceptions ( Tarzia et al., 2023 ). The open-ended responses were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six stages of thematic analysis: familiarization with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and writing the report ( Braun and Clarke, 2006 ). Illustrative quotes from the qualitative portion of the survey that speak directly to survey responses were incorporated into the results section for that set of questions.

SEM’s use to guide inquiry is documented in several cases related to students and higher education ( Jack et al., 2019 ; Dotson et al., 2022 ; Wright, 2022 ). Jack et al. used SEM to guide inquiry, thematic coding, and analysis to provide insight into the perceptions of refugee student well-being within higher education, as well as for the professionals working with them ( Jack et al., 2019 ). Wright investigated sexual assertiveness of undergraduate women in a southeastern US higher education institution, and Dotson et al. performed a qualitative study on US college youth online learning during the pandemic, both using an SEM guided, qualitative thematic coding approach ( Dotson et al., 2022 ; Wright, 2022 ). Based on this previous use of SEM-guided analysis and qualitative thematic coding, we employed this complimentary framework and analytical approach to understand student parents’ experiences and perceptions during the pandemic.

Sample population

The survey received 35 responses, ranging from 18 to 40+ years of age. Because the survey was anonymous, the research team was unable to determine the kinds of institutions represented in the survey. Responses were collected over 3 months from November 2021 to January 2022. The majority of respondents were female ( N = 34) and white ( N = 29). Educational backgrounds varied. Of the responses received, ten participants had a Bachelor’s degree, 22 had a Master’s degree, and one had recently received their Doctoral degree. All but one of the participants was currently enrolled in their university as a graduate student. Twenty-three of the 35 participants were not employed outside the university, and 23 were receiving an assistantship of some kind.

Most participants had one child ( N = 21), while 14 participants had 2 or more children. Child ages ranged from infants (<1 year) to preteens (11 years). Thirty-three respondents were married or in a domestic or long-term partnership. Household incomes ranged from 10,000 USD to 350,000 USD. Only 3 respondents stated that their school-age children qualify for free or reduced lunch, and 2 of the respondents indicated that their family qualifies for SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program).

When asked about their COVID-19 vaccination status, 34 of the respondents stated that they have received the vaccine, and one selected that they preferred not to answer. We received the same responses to the question of whether or not their partner was vaccinated. Most respondents stated when their child is old enough, they would be willing to vaccinate their child as well with timing varying between when the vaccine was approved for emergency authorization versus full FDA approval.

Study limitations

There were only 35 respondents, but given the challenge with engaging marginalized groups in higher education, the research team expected low participation ( Todd, 2023 ). Additionally, the sample was not socioeconomically diverse, as most respondents were married and had a substantial income. However, many points of stress and questions about parenting traversed socioeconomic lines. The exploratory nature of the study, the sample characteristics, and low response rate make this study ungeneralizable, but still offers important insights into student parents during the COVID-19 pandemic and could serve as a starting point for future research.

Results and discussion

Pandemic consequences.

Student parents faced many challenges prior to the pandemic, and the emergence of COVID-19 served to exacerbate these challenges and present new obstacles. With daycare closures and quarantines a regular occurrence, student parents were faced with the difficult task of balancing academic roles with parental roles during their usual hours of work. From the survey results, student parents reported that while working from home, they were less productive because they did not have designated, uninterrupted work time and also felt that they had to work outside of regular office hours (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) due to balancing childcare in order to meet their goals. Holmes and Nikiforidou found that 30% of their student parent respondents had to work during “anti-social” hours ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ). Moreover, student parents also reported that they believe their quality of work (course work, research, etc.) has suffered due to lack of childcare at home. Many student parents suggested that the most difficult part of working from home during the pandemic was balancing childcare with their academic work. One participant writes,

“Working while teaching children from home was not just unproductive, it was impossible. I have neurotypical children and a neurodivergent, special needs child. Helping them with schoolwork put me in the position of being a special education teacher, a regular teacher, IT support, therapist, mom, and PhD candidate. I am an enormously motivated, efficient person generally, but I do not know anyone who could have effectively balanced all of this.”

Other student parents agreed with this sentiment and felt that they could not devote themselves to one role, but instead had to take on multiple roles while working remotely with children at home. Because of this, student parents faced consequences in their relationships with those around them during the pandemic. The survey results revealed that many student parents felt a shift in their parenting styles and a change in their relationship with their children during this time. One participant writes,

“I am more reactive and less patient and working while my daughter was at home felt negligent”

when describing how working from home affected a relationship.

Many participants also reported that the COVID-19 pandemic would delay their thesis/dissertation completion and expected graduation. Further, a Likert scale question revealed that the majority of student parent respondents “somewhat agree” or “strongly agree” that working in academia during the pandemic made them consider a career change. This, unfortunately, aligns with and accents trends of females leaving academia upon reaching the stage of parenthood ( Mirick and Wladkowski, 2018 ; Fulweiler et al., 2021 ). Together, these multiple exacerbations by the pandemic clearly impacted student parents not only in the moment, but also had the potential to change the trajectory of their career.

While the scope of this research does not seek to analyze the gender roles among student parents with spouses/partners, gender roles did also affect student parents during this time. Holmes and Nikiforidou reported that nearly 80% of their student parent respondents had perceptions that mothers and fathers experienced the pandemic lockdowns differently, with their most frequent response being that mothers experienced more pressures during lockdown than fathers ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ). In our study, a student mother found most difficulty with:

“having to take on the brunt of online schooling and child care because of gender norms in our household but also mostly because my spouse is the one with a job that pays the bills, my stipend does not, so his work took precedence over mine, every time. I had to drop a class then make it up over the summer. I was not able to submit to any conferences or complete research outside of class. I wasn't able to read or give fully to any of my courses. I have been set back at least a year of graduation, which means finding funding for an extra year. It was difficult to focus on my schoolwork while my kids were struggling with school and mental health issues from being home.”

One benefit reported by student parents of working from home was that less time was spent commuting to and from work/school, which allowed student parents more time and flexibility. However, these benefits do not outweigh the negative consequences student parents faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the context of the SEM model, survey responses indicate that while the manifestation of COVID-19 challenges were seen at the individual level (reduced productivity, reduced work quality), the root cause of these were related to society norms, relationship dynamics, and constraints within their larger academic and student communities ( Wiese and Stertz, 2022 ; Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ).

Relationship

The survey showed that consequences of being a student parent also included dealing with partner relationship dynamics. When asked if they felt their partner contributed to balancing child care obligations during the pandemic, most of the respondents selected that they somewhat or strongly agree with the statement. However, there were still some that disagreed. This distribution of responses is also reflected in what was reported in Holmes and Nikiforidou (2023) . There were similar results when asked if their partner/spouse/significant other was able to help with childcare while working from home. The vast majority of the respondents, 97 percent, identified themselves as females, so these results are mostly coming from a mother’s view. This is interesting because mothers are usually viewed as the primary caretakers for children and domestic duties, even as mothers enter the workforce and the prevalence of two-income households has increased drastically ( Fetterolf and Rudman, 2014 ). We asked an open-ended question that stated, “What concerns, if any, do you have about your parenting style and/or abilities during the pandemic?” A few of the respondents mentioned that they were forced to allow their children to have more screen time due to the fact that they were less patient with the child or needed to focus. One parent stated,

“I am much less effective as a parent during the pandemic because I am exhausted and juggling too many tasks all the time without clear breaks between them. It’s insane.”

This is important as the consequences that they are facing with their parenting styles are heavily influenced by the adaptations they have had to make to deal with the pandemic.

Survey responses discovered that the parents deal with lack of support of resources. The question regarding whether or not these parents participate in a student parent community in their department/at their institution for resources and support received more strongly disagree responses than any other category. Having support and resources is something that could have been helpful to many of these parents during their transition to working at home during the pandemic; however, many of them either did not know they existed or their schools did not have a community in place for them. Todd coined the student parent population as invisible due to the lack of organized student parent communities, as well as lack of prioritization or even acknowledgement by higher education administrations ( Todd, 2023 ). Over half of the respondents strongly disagreed that their educational institution has provided adequate support or resources to student parents throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another consequence that these student parents had to endure is working outside of regular office hours. They were forced to work outside of the traditional 9 am – 5 pm because their children were not at childcare or school at this time. Due to schools and daycares being closed for months as the pandemic began or due to frequent quarantines when they were back in session, the parents were required to make sure the child or children received the care and education they needed to stay on track with their school curriculums. In addition, this led to constant distractions throughout the day that led to parents having to work late nights and early mornings. Nikiforidou and Holmes use Third Space Theory to explore being a parent during lockdown, being a student during lockdown, and the space between, leading to an emergence of such strategies described above to try and balance the demands of being a student and parent simultaneously during the pandemic ( Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ).

One of the main societal factors contributing here is gender and the traditional roles that accompany them. As mentioned, a majority of the respondents were women. Society often emphasizes women taking on the familial roles of childcare, cooking, cleaning, and providing support for their significant other. The pandemic overwhelmed these roles even more because both parents were required to stay home in many cases resulting in the women having to do more around the house, which has also been observed in other studies of student mothers ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ; Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ; Sallee and Yates, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ). These added stresses may cause even more women to leave the workforce, reducing diversity in the workplace and within societal roles.

Effects on mental health

The obstacles traditionally faced by student parents became more challenging during the pandemic. Many of these student parents have the responsibility of providing for their children, completing schoolwork, caring for themselves, and making sure to complete the tasks required for their jobs. Along with this accompanies significant impacts on mental health. The survey results highlighted the mental toll the pandemic had on student parents while working from home. From the “check all that apply” questions in this section, 78% of participants felt stressed about their course work performance, 89% felt stressed about their research progress, and 86% felt stressed about the pandemic’s damage in their community. Additionally, the majority of the survey respondents agreed that they felt guilty for not spending adequate time on school work/research and their children while being a student parent during the pandemic. One positive effect of working from home was the lessened financial strain as only 33% of respondents reported feeling stressed about money while working from home; however, the prevalence of married respondents and dual-income households should be considered here. Holmes and Nikiforidou also found that some student parents found the pandemic as a learning opportunity for how to juggle school and parenting, as well as enjoyed the additional time with family ( Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ). Regardless, 75% of student parents reported that they felt an overall decline in their mental health while working from home during the pandemic. When asked to describe how working from home affected their mental health, one participant writes,

“I’m constantly stressed about being behind on research and constantly overwhelmed by both research and home related tasks. I’m never caught up and never get a real break from either role.”

Similarly, another student parent writes,

“Focus, achievement are both down and that makes me feel guilty and worried about my future. I'm constantly considering dropping out to alleviate the stress.”

Other student parents responded in a similar manner expressing how they are battling feelings of “isolation and depression and lack of control” which can play a major role in their performance as both a student and a parent. Others have found additional negative descriptors of student parent experiences during the pandemic, including “too much,” “overwhelmed,” “suffocating,” “exhausting,” and “depleting” ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ).

In addition to the stress caused by working from home, student parents also had reservations about returning to in person work/school activities. From the survey results, only 21% of respondents reported that they feel less stressed because they were returning to in person work/school activities, and only a third of respondents felt that they would get more accomplished when returning to in person school/work. In addition to the productivity worries of returning in person, many student parents reported feeling stressed about child illness and school/daycare closures during this time. For example, while returning to in person activities, 94% of student parents felt worried that they would have to miss work due to self or child illness, and 79% of participants felt worried that their child might get sent home from school for spiking a fever regardless of COVID-19 positive status. These worries took a great toll on the mental health of student parents, and 49% of student parents felt that they could not fully focus on their work due to the acute stress of self or child illness occurring. Because of the prevalence of COVID-19 cases at the time, many student parents felt that vaccination could reduce the possibility of self or child illness occurring. The survey results revealed that 47% of student parents “strongly agreed” that vaccination of self would alleviate stress associated with returning in person, and further 53% of respondents “strongly agreed” that vaccination of their children would alleviate the stress of returning in person. When asked to describe how to work/school/in-person activities affected their mental health, one participant writes,

“The biggest thing that both helps but makes me stressed/worried is sending my unvaccinated kid to daycare. My kid has asthma. We spent time in PICU when he was a baby, rsv multiple times, etc. So a lot of this takes me back to those triggering events. So while sending him helps me work better it also is always on my mind and I worry. It's just a constant struggle.”

Another participant described a similar worry as they write,

“Anxiety over my young unvaccinated children getting ill, but also this chronic knot in my gut, waiting for a classroom exposure and quarantine.”

Further, another student parent found some comfort returning to routine in-person activities as they write,

“It helped at first, but it also brought out the realities of having completely socially isolated myself for months on end. I felt a lot of anxiety being around others with new social covid rules, including rules imposed by the University (which at my institution were awful. We weren't allowed to eat or drink inside any University building for over three months). So a lot of anxiety, but also feeling good to be returning to my usual job with (slightly) the same routine.”

The heightened fear and stress that student parents experienced due to the pandemic had a significant impact on their mental health. Dealing with constant worries can cause an individual’s performance and enthusiasm for parenting and/or academics to be dampened. These participants were asked if they felt as though they were at a disadvantage from other students because they are raising child(ren), and most respondents stated yes. A few of the respondents stated,

“Yes. I feel like other students can be more productive at home than parents, and yet the expectations are the same and no special accommodations are given.”

“Yes- those without children have so much more flexibility to take on activities such as teaching. Whereas I have to balance work with childcare.”

The majority of respondents similarly felt that they were at a disadvantage compared to their non-student parent counterparts and felt overwhelmed by the stressors of the pandemic without having adequate resources to cope with the precarious situation. Todd’s study also reflects these statements and emphasizes that a sense of belonging increases student parent success at a university ( Todd, 2023 ).

Mental health is often overlooked by individuals when they have other factors requiring their immediate attention. Many students experienced anxiety and stress due to the unpredictability of the pandemic. They did not know when or if anyone in the family might contract the virus or if they might lose their job or keep up with their schoolwork. The stress that this created negatively impacted their academic performance as well as their overall well-being. When the respondents were asked to describe how working from home affected their mental health some of the comments included,

“So much anxiety. Isolation. Loss of Motivation. Alcohol Abuse”

“Constantly stressed about being overwhelmed by both research and home related activities”,

“Made me less tolerable of people and anxious.”

Many other statements aligned closely in tone and theme with the ones listed. Overall, working from home during COVID-19 caused a great deal of stress for these student parents. They were stressed about taking care of their child and schoolwork, not getting enough sleep, and the possibility of a loved one getting COVID-19, to name a few. When asked to describe how returning to school/work/in-person activities affected their mental health, there were a mixture of comments. Some were more at peace because they did not have family there to distract them from completing work-related tasks. Yet others were even more stressed because they had to worry about sending unvaccinated children to school. The attitude toward mental health is usually that it can be dealt with when time permits. However, most people forget to set aside time to deal with their emotional well-being, and it became even more difficult with the pandemic for these student parents who already have little time for themselves at baseline.

These parents had to balance their children’s needs as well as their own. The needs for their children included the transition to remote learning. Many parents were forced to be their child’s teacher in order to make sure their child did not fall behind. Strains between the parent and child arose because these parents did not get the normal time away from their children for school and/or work in addition to the added stress of having to balance their own work with teaching their children. During the pandemic, everyone was required to figure out how to keep children entertained enough for them to try and get their work done. This is a problem for student parents’ mental health because they do not have the time to themselves that they need. This is also reflected in Nikifouridou and Holmes’ Third Space Theory analysis of student parents bridging the gap between student and parent identities and the lack of resources available to help someone construct and sustain that bridge ( Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ). Another relationship that affected these student parents’ mental health was their connection with their research or graduate advisor. Many of the respondents did not feel supported by their advisor. The necessary shifts between online, hybrid, and in-person would have been easier if they had more advisors and/or professors willing to provide help, support, and flexibility ( Todd, 2023 ). If the student parent felt like their advisors did not care about them enough to move due dates and be understanding, then they mentally would have more anxiety and stress than before.

A major theme at the community level was the institutional vs. local community’s effect on the individual. Institutionally, these student parents were forced to continue to produce the same workload as required before the pandemic with the now added responsibilities of childcare and their child’s virtual schooling. Nikiforidou and Holmes state that almost 30% of the participants in their study made specific references to “being a parent during the day and being a student during the night or when children were asleep” ( Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ). In relation to their local community, school and daycare center closures created a difficult situation for student parents to balance with their own responsibilities. Multiple times during the pandemic, childcare providers and schools had to shut their doors when an outbreak of the virus occurred ( Yavorsky et al., 2022 ). Children had to wait until a certain age to be able to get vaccinated; even once they reached it, many parents did not want their child to receive the vaccine due to the seemingly rushed nature of approval, pre-existing health conditions, or social pressures, among other reasons ( Olusanya et al., 2021 ). For single student parents with no help, this caused an even greater threat to their schoolwork and research/graduate work because they would have to take time off in order to care for their child or children. Missed assignments and lack of focus caused many student parents’ grades to drop causing their mental health to decline. This decline came from the fact that they had to lose sleep and personal time in order to make up for this over-extended workload ( Nikiforidou and Holmes, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ). Sallee and Yates argue that student mothers in particular turned to internal, women-comprised networks to help navigate parenting and academics during the pandemic; however, that support network has to exist and be accessible for student parents, which may not always be the case ( Sallee and Yates, 2023 ).

Society has created a stigma around student parents that has been a topic of discussion for many years ( Ascend at the Aspen Institute, 2021 ). One pressing topic is whether or not students with children can do as much as those without due to the extra responsibilities that come with being a parent ( Briegel et al., 2023 ). Due to these biases and microaggressions, many student parents feel inferior to their non-parent student peers ( Moreau and Kerner, 2015 ; Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ). In addition, financial insecurity among student parents with the addition of inflation, supply chain shortages, reduced hours, and losing jobs strikes more complex issues that are difficult to manage while also being a student and parent ( Moreau and Kerner, 2015 ; Tsurugano et al., 2021 ).

Coping resources

The last section of the survey aimed to identify the coping resources available to student parents throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many student parents alluded to a lack of resources available to them during this time that made working from home even harder. From the Likert scale questions, 69% of student parents strongly disagreed that their educational institution or university provided adequate resources to them during the pandemic. When asked what type of resources their institution provides for student parents, one participant writes,

“None. No parental leave. No committees. Absolutely nothing.”

Another participant conveyed a similar sentiment as they write,

“This is a thing? My advisor being a woman with children herself was the saving grace for my experience the last two years.”

In addition to the clear lack of resources available to student parents during the pandemic, 83% of student parent respondents strongly or somewhat disagreed that established student parent communities existed at their institution that they could participate in for resources and support. Some participants reported that they did not know of any other student parents in their department that they could contact for support. For many student parents, even knowing of someone else in a similar situation can provide comfort during difficult times. One student parent writes,

“The other parents in my cohort have been my lifeboat the past couple of years…”

demonstrating how knowing other student parents can help student parents feel less isolated during this time ( Sallee and Yates, 2023 ; Todd, 2023 ).

Despite the lack of institutional resources provided for student parents during the pandemic, participants reported periods of grace while working from home. Some student parents found that while working from home, instructors and research advisors were understanding of delays and unmet deadlines due to childcare obligations or disruptions. Additionally, some participants agreed that research advisors and instructors communicated effectively with them on a regular basis. Upon returning to in-person, student parents found that research advisors and instructors were still understanding of delays and unmet deadlines due to childcare disruptions. Also, while working from home, 76% of participants had a significant other that was capable of helping with childcare, and but only a fraction of the student parents felt that their partner contributed to balancing childcare obligations during the pandemic, with the reminder that all but one respondent identified as a female. Gendered differences in parenting responsibilities among student parents have been previously reported as well ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ; Sallee and Yates, 2023 ).

The use of technology also played a key role in whether or not student parents were able to work effectively from home during the pandemic. From the survey, 71% of student parents found that the use of online technology to provide online learning and remote meetings helped them succeed during periods of remote work.

When asked what changes should be made in order to benefit parents that are also university students, most student parents strongly suggest some form of affordable on-campus childcare to aid them with childcare disruptions and obligations. Student parents also wish for more flexibility with deadlines and a greater understanding of the precarious situation student parents face. One student parent suggests,

“Flexible deadlines and an understanding to have the camera and mic off during meetings so I can do things like breastfeed/bounce a baby.”

Another student parent writes, asking for,

“Better clarity and knowledge when it comes to what ways the university can be flexible with us and make those policies universal vs instructor by instructor, and a better understanding of what parents are actually dealing with”

Student parents wish not only for resources to be more available to them, but also to be more effectively advertised in order for them to utilize the resources being offered. Many student parents were not aware of the existence of student parent support groups and better clarity can help them benefit from these resources. Holmes and Nikiforidou analyzed multiple university student support pages and found that the vast majority indicated support for student mental health, physical health, and academic issues while the few student parent support websites focused mostly on practical support, such as finding childcare and financial aid ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ).

The coping resources section of the survey focuses on the ways that these student parents dealt with the changes they faced with the pandemic. It is important to know what they did or did not do or have access to in order to provide suggestions on what should be implemented at a university level to help student parents remain successful with schoolwork and research if another major event like the pandemic happens in the future. Within the SEM, the individual level will be greatly impacted when it comes to coping resources, their availability, and quality. Coping can be defined as something that individuals can use either as an activity, mindset, or action which allows them to manage the stressors of different situations ( Skibniewski-Woods, 2022 ). If an individual does not find a positive way to cope, then they can experience burnout and decline mental health ( Wilson et al., 2021 ). These parents discussed how they did not have the time or energy to stick to their normal routines, so it can be inferred that this may have included self-care as well. Positive coping strategies have been reported by student parents during the pandemic, such as prioritizing tasks, talking with others, self-care, positive thinking, and their religion ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ). Resources and suggestions such as these should be not only available to student parents, but they need to be well-known and widely advertised so that they can be used effectively.

Coping resources on the relationship level of the SEM refer to social support and resources that are available to individuals within their relationships. Relationships can include family, friends, professors, advisors, and their child/ren’s school teachers. One of the most important types of resources for this category is emotional support such as validation of feelings, encouragement, active listening, and reassurance. COVID-19 caused strain in many different relationships, and the student parents in the survey answered questions relating to the previously mentioned relationships. When asked the question, “While working from home, my research advisor was understanding of delays or unmet deadlines due to childcare obligations or disruptions,” over half of the responses were “strongly disagree.” Few of the respondents felt like their research advisor communicated effectively on a regular basis. Perhaps this is due to similar strains the research advisor was experiencing due to balancing their academic career and parenthood during the pandemic ( Fulweiler et al., 2021 ). Positive communication skills include one’s ability to express themselves, actively listen, and provide feedback to the individual they are talking to, and this is something that many of these student parents were not receiving from their advisors during the pandemic. The survey included questions challenging whether or not these situations changed when they arrived back in person. Although there were slightly fewer “strongly disagree” responses than there were from the working from home questions, less-than-ideal support was provided that these student parents needed. The relationship between the student parent and their partner/spouse/significant other is essential to understand as well. If these student parents felt as though they were receiving more help during the transitions that COVID-19 threw at them, then they might have been able to feel more confident in battling the changes. However, 55% of the student parents strongly disagreed with the statement that their partner was able and/or willing to help with childcare while working from home. Seventy four percent of the respondents indicated that they either strongly or somewhat disagree with the statement that they felt their partner contributed to balancing childcare obligations during the pandemic. Sallee and Yates stress the importance of women-comprised networks to help specifically student mothers cope, bond, and persist throughout the pandemic because these internal support systems could step up when higher education institutions failed to do so ( Sallee and Yates, 2023 ).

It is understood that being a student parent can be a challenging task, but there should be sufficient coping resources available on the community level to help these student parents succeed in their aspirations. One of the most common of those resources is community and institutional parent supporting groups. The open-ended question of “What type of resources does your institution provide for student parents?” received statements such as:

“none” “very, very little” “a smile and a wave” ,

“outside of normal student resources, there are not any specialized for parents.”

These statements are also supported by the student support university website analysis performed by Holmes and Nikiforidou (2023) . This is important because the lack of resources at most institutions causes individuals to feel unsupported and forgotten, or as Todd coined “invisible” ( Todd, 2023 ). “Strongly disagree” was also the most popular choice on the survey question of whether their educational institution has provided adequate support/resources to student parents throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is unfortunate considering the fact that these student parents were forced to change the way that they learned in order to protect themselves, their families, and individuals at the school from COVID-19.

Societal influences can play a major role in helping (or impeding) student parents in how they deal with the demands of childcare and schoolwork. There are a variety of coping resources that have been argued to be necessary for helping student parents, one of which is affordable childcare ( Cruse et al., 2021 ; Williams et al., 2022 ). Access to reasonably priced and high-quality childcare, especially available on-campus, can help these parents have a sense of security financially and mentally ( Cruse et al., 2021 ; Richardson, 2022 ; Williams et al., 2022 ). Another important aspect of this level is flexibility in academic schedules ( Todd, 2023 ). Many student parents stated that they did not feel confident in completing their thesis and dissertation on time due to the pandemic. Having flexible academic and research schedules during the time that they were sent online and transitioning back in person would allow these individuals to balance their parental responsibilities and academic ones as well ( King, 2022 ). Todd’s findings corroborate our results, demonstrating that student parents need flexibility in both time and space, as well as a sense of belonging through understanding, support, reassurance, and connection in order to sustain student parent success while at university ( Todd, 2023 ). Further, when the pandemic hit, many individuals rushed into stores and bought high volumes of necessities for storage which caused an increase in price due to high demand. Such food price increases, subsequent supply chain issues, and fear of grocery shopping contributed to student food insecurity during the pandemic ( Owens et al., 2020 ). The student parents in our survey did not have any positive comments to include when it comes to receiving aid or support at the societal level.

Recommendations

The open-ended section of our survey allowed student parents to provide their own recommendations for how higher education institutions can help them navigate these challenges. The majority of student parents implore higher education institutions to establish procedures for flexible deadlines. One student parent asks that they

“allow for more flexibility in support and accommodations to help people in their unique situations.”

Another student parent writes,

“Student parents need so much grace and understanding. Clear and universal policies that are student/parent centered.”

The implementation of clear policies and procedures for flexible deadlines would help ensure that student parents can perform to the best of their ability in the case that childcare-related challenges arise. Further, student parents also suggest better clarity of the policies in place for student parents and that higher education institutions attempt to better understand the situations they face. One student parent requests,

“Better clarity and knowledge when it comes to what ways the university can be flexible with us and make those policies universal vs instructor by instructor, better understanding of what parents are actually dealing with these childcare interruptions continuing to happen, universal ability to allows students parents work from home as needed vs leaving it up to each individual supervisor. My supervisor is incredibly understanding but not all are.”

In addition to flexible procedures and clear policies, the majority of student parents also recommended that institutions provide on campus childcare centers. One student parent writes,

“Offer affordable on campus childcare!”

“Offer childcare on campus. Have spaces for children on campus. Make resources more available and advertised.”

Lastly, a student parent writes,

“If not already available, I would think on-campus childcare would be helpful. As would a children-welcome parent support group (in person).”

On-campus childcare would eliminate the need for outside childcare and aid in logistics for attending classes by parents. However, while on-campus childcare has been offered at some institutions, faculty are usually prioritized for already competitive spots, and tuition is charged at the market rate (which is sometimes not affordable for faculty, let alone students with limited to no income) ( Cruse et al., 2021 ). On-campus childcare should be carefully considered for implementation by higher education institutions to protect and maintain accessibility for financially insecure students, perhaps with a sliding-scale tuition based on income and/or in combination with professional teacher development at the institution ( Barbour and Bersani, 1991 ; Richardson, 2022 ). Further, student parents also recommended that higher education institutions codify protections for student parents who need to miss class for childcare-related reasons. This protection would ensure that student parents are not at a disadvantage compared to their non-student parent counterparts due to circumstances outside of their control, such as a child falling ill.

Overall, it needs to be made abundantly clear to higher education institutions that a significant portion of their student population also has parenting responsibilities; it is not acceptable for over 20% of the student population to be “invisible” ( Todd, 2023 ). Higher education institutions should also be made aware of the unique issues student parents face and enact policies and procedures to help alleviate the strain placed on them to make higher education more inclusive and accessible to this population. In conjunction with conveying this knowledge to these administrations, tangible support and resources need to be implemented. Holmes and Nikiforidou recommend enhanced availability of support for student parents, including designated support programs and counselors for student parents, improving the ethos of student parents among university constituents, and a review of policies to permit greater flexibility for student parents ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ). We also recommend enhanced visibility and advertisement of resources for student parents and for those resources to be more than superficial links to websites. There should be tailored support and resources for student parents at all stages of parenthood, including pregnancy ( Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ). Such resources should include conveying what rights student parents have to receiving an education; understanding Title IX guidelines for parenting students; how to apply for academic accommodations; how to find childcare in the area; finding and applying for insurance for giving birth and for children after birth, perhaps in the form of Medicaid or other state-funded children insurance programs; housing resources; food banks; how to apply for the women, infants, and children (WIC) nutrition program and other aid; study skill counseling; mental services counseling; time management counseling; tutoring services; and perhaps the most widespread, fostering and sustaining a visible student parent community ( Fershee, 2010 ; Mason and Younger, 2014 ; U.S. Department of Education, 2020 ; Holmes and Nikiforidou, 2023 ). In addition, there are donor-supported programs (not funded by the university) such as “Baby Steps” at Auburn University, University of Alabama, University of Central Florida, and University of Tennessee that not only support students with unplanned pregnancies, but provide housing, childcare, meals, counseling, tutoring, and a number of other services for student mothers attending those institutions at no cost ( Baby Steps, 2023 ).

However, how effective are such policies at higher education institutions? In 2016, Moreau identified three approaches higher education institutions use to support student parents, which include the careblind/universal, target, and mainstreaming approaches ( Moreau, 2016b ). The careblind/universal approach categorizes an institution as not having any specific provisions or policies in place, with an emphasis on universal policies needing to be equal for every student ( Moreau, 2016b ). The targeted approach has specific policies in place for student parents, such as specialized financial aid options or campus childcare ( Moreau, 2016b ). The mainstreaming approach attempts to make the needs of student parents more well-known and integrated into student policies, such as having designated websites or advisors for student parent support ( Moreau, 2016b ). Unfortunately, even with targeted or mainstream strategies, student parents report that they are largely unaware of the policies and/or do not have access to the resources the institution is attempting to provide ( Moreau, 2016b ; Baddley, 2021 ). In the report “Perception is Reality,” the Feminists for Life of America purport that while many higher education institutions have some level of on-campus resources for pregnant and parenting students, the basic resources are usually unpublicized ( Utley, 2013 ; Baddley, 2021 ). Thus, higher education administrations need be more intentional in not only establishing such supportive resources for student parents, but being effective in their advertisement and follow-through of support.

In conclusion, this study only begins to understand the unique challenges and situations student parents faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and their gradual return to in-person operations. While many of the isolating practices (remote work, remote school, hybrid teaching) that produced significant levels of stress are being rolled back, the aftermath of that stress and its long-term consequences remain to be fully understood. Addressing some of the challenges identified in this data will require further investigation at larger scales. This study provides an initial, cursory, exploratory glance at emerging complications of the COVID-19 pandemic for a particularly vulnerable group of students within higher education.

Data availability statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Ethics statement

The studies involving humans were approved by the University of Mississippi Institutional Review Board, Protocol 22x-096. The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author contributions

KF: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. AS: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. AC: Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. DR: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. KF and AS were supported from the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi. DR was supported by funding from AHA 848586, NIH R35 GM147050, and NSF ENG EEC 2148764.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: student parents, COVID-19 pandemic, mental health, coping resources, higher education

Citation: Franklin KT, Saval AJ, Cafer AM and Reinemann DN (2024) A retrospective analysis of the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on systemic barriers to success for university student parents. Front. Educ . 9:1256454. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1256454

Received: 10 July 2023; Accepted: 28 March 2024; Published: 08 April 2024.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2024 Franklin, Saval, Cafer and Reinemann. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Anne M. Cafer, [email protected] ; Dana N. Reinemann, [email protected]

† These authors share first authorship

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Student Spotlight: Abigail Gillespie

Meet Abigail Gillespie, who is a double major in ECL and biology. Gillespie is working on a thesis project examining the role of art in public health communication regarding HIV/AIDS in Kenya.

Gillespie originally planned to major only in biology, but she began to see intersections between medicine and the humanities in her classes: “Upon enrolling at UNC in 2020, my initial focus was on strictly pursuing a major in biology. However, my curiosity about the history of North Carolina, as an out-of-state student, led me to explore ‘African Americans in North Carolina,’ which I took. This experience, along with subsequent classes taught by Dr. Robert Porter, led me to declare a minor in African, African American, and Diaspora Studies. During discussions with Dr. Porter regarding my interest in the intersection of medicine and humanities, particularly through narratives and literature, he recommended that I explore English courses.”

Gillespie’s interest in public health art movements began during her sophomore year and continues to inform her thesis project: “During the summer following my Sophomore year, I participated in the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) under the mentorship of Dr. Seth Kotch. My project, titled ‘The Art of a Pandemic: Combatting Coronavirus Disease Transmission in Nairobi, Kenya,’ examined Nairobi-based public health art movements, primarily that of the Mathare Roots Youth Initiative in Mathare, with particular emphasis on Brian Musasia Wanyande or Msale, who creates street and graffiti art to emphasize the need to combat disease together. In the subsequent summer, after completing four semesters of Kiswahili instruction with Dr. Raphael Birya, I participated in the Critical Language Scholarship in Arusha, Tanzania. This immersive experience allowed me to improve my Kiswahili speaking abilities and deepen my understanding of East African culture.”

Her thesis project draws on her previous research experience: “Currently, in my sixth semester of Kiswahili instruction, I am collaborating with Dr. Jordynn Jack on a research project examining the role of art in public health communication regarding HIV/AIDS in Kenya. This project investigates the historical context of the AIDS epidemic in Kenya and explores how various forms of art, including posters from the National Library of Medicine and the Library of Congress, have facilitated communication about HIV/AIDS. The project explores the use of music for discussing HIV/AIDS, analyzing the effectiveness of the artists’ choices in conveying messages about the disease. Furthermore, the project explores the concept of body mapping, a deeply personal artistic practice, examining its motivations, intended audience, and therapeutic potential for healing those affected. All in all, the project aims to explain why art serves as an effective tool for communicating about disease and to explore potential avenues for future research in the field.”

Gillespie reflects on the importance of taking the time to explore your options in college: “Having grown up in a rural town in Ohio, my career at UNC-Chapel Hill started without a clear vision of my academic path or the opportunities available. Unaware initially, for example, of the option for undergraduate students to engage in biology labs or the ability to study historical epidemiology, I entered college without a set plan. Life isn’t a race. It’s perfectly acceptable to take a year or two to discover your passions and explore opportunities.”

The skills she has learned in both of her majors have prepared Gillespie for pursuing graduate study as well as a career: “Majoring in Biology and English and Comparative Literature has deeply prepared me for studying historical epidemiology in graduate school but it has also prepared me for any job that I pursue. I have learned how to deeply analyze primary sources and how to go about understanding complex information. My courses, in both majors, have taught me to communicate through writing, speaking, and presenting. These experiences will help me to convey research findings, write reports, publish scholarly articles, and deliver presentations. Today, I am currently involved in the English Department’s HHIVE lab. My goal is to pursue graduate studies in the History of Medicine, combining my interests in literature, history, and epidemiology.”

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The COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement aims to provide the examiners with a clearer understanding of how the research was affected and shaped due to COVID-19 disruptions. A COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement is not required and you may submit your thesis for examination without reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. Should you wish to submit your ...
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Two potential thesis statements for your paper. (You can find information about writing a strong thesis statement in the OWL at https: ... The COVID-19 Pandemic has forever changed the landscape of medical practice, though it is unclear whether shifts to telemedicine, rapidly changing legislature, and increased media coverage of this industry ...
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research and their thesis in order to comply with restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and public health emergency measures. SGS recommends writing an COVID-19 Impact Statement that can be sent to examiners (as a separate document from your thesis) so they can understand how your thesis has been forced to change.
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saw friends lose family members and future employment opportunities to COVID-19. They questioned and changed their lives to adjust to the pandemic. I also watched a mental health crisis emerge for students at the University of Mississippi. This thesis tells their stories, which are filled with hope, fear and ambiguities, and connected by a virus.
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A Study on Students' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic Through
The thesis focuses on students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and zooms in on how distance learning is impacting students. The thesis first provides a background of mental health with previous studies surrounding the effects of loneliness, anxiety and depression.
A retrospective analysis of the perceived impact of the COVID-19
IntroductionStudent parents, both undergraduate and graduate, face the difficult task of balancing their studies and raising children, and they are a population often neglected or forgotten by higher education administration. The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced already present issues student parents face through the implementation of virtual schooling, increased daycare costs and closings, staying ...
Erasmus University Thesis Repository: How the Social Network Secures
Driedijk, Caitlyn. (2023, February 21). How the Social Network Secures Safety: A Qualitative Study of Psychological Safety and Social Connectedness in the Context of Hybrid Work During the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Student Spotlight: Abigail Gillespie
Gillespie is working on a thesis project examining the role of art in public health communication regarding HIV/AIDS in Kenya. ... (MURAP) under the mentorship of Dr. Seth Kotch. My project, titled 'The Art of a Pandemic: Combatting Coronavirus Disease Transmission in Nairobi, Kenya,' examined Nairobi-based public health art movements ...

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The challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the way people deal with them. A qualitative longitudinal study

Introduction

Literature review

Current study

Participants.

Data analysis.

Main challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discussion and conclusions

Limitations of the study.

Practical implications.

Conclusions

Supporting information

S2 Table. Characteristics of study participants.

S1 Dataset. Transcriptions from the interviews.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: an overview of systematic reviews

On behalf of the International Network of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (InterNetCOVID-19)

Conclusions

Methodology

Study design

Eligibility criteria

Information sources

Study selection

Data collection process

Quality assessment in individual reviews

Synthesis of results

Managing overlapping systematic reviews

Characteristics of included reviews

Population and study designs

Systematic review findings

Clinical symptoms

Diagnostic aspects

Therapeutic possibilities

Laboratory and radiological findings

Quality of evidence in individual systematic reviews

Availability of data and materials

Acknowledgments

Author information

Contributions

Corresponding author

Ethics declarations

Consent for publication

Competing interests

Additional information

Supplementary Information

Additional file 2: Appendix 2.

Additional file 3: Appendix 3.

Additional file 4: Appendix 4.

Additional file 5: Appendix 5.

Additional file 6: Appendix 6.

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