Philippine E-Journals

The Perceived Effects of COVID-19 to Mental Health of Grade 9 Students and Parents

Jennifer Culala

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

More than physical disease, COVID-19 has proven to be detrimental and fatal to the mental health of individuals in the world. With families being forced to stay indoors, students and their parents or guardians have become one of the most vulnerable sectors during the pandemic. The researcher decided to find out the perceived mental effects of COVID-19 to these sectors using surveys (HAYTStudents & HAYT-Parents). Majority of students remarked "Stress from Online Classes," due to the excessive work given to them, the lack of attendance of some teachers, and lack of materials they have at home. For parents, the main concern was "Fear of COVID-19", most must balance between the threat of the virus and the lack of food on the table. Adolescents have different developmental needs than their older counterparts and need to be social, not only to help build their own identity but also to keep out of their own head as they feel emotions strongly. Parents with the increasing stress of financial difficulty have been found to increase the mental strain of their own children, both parties want to do the right thing but seem to constantly fall short of it.