Al-Fanar Media and UNIMED to Explore Covid-19’s Mental Health Impact on Students and Staff
Al-Fanar Media and the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) have launched two surveys to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of students and faculty members in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
When the pandemic forced the worldwide adoption of online education in 2020, millions of children, adolescents and college students experienced a long duration of physical isolation from friends, teachers, and members of their extended families.
This sudden transition left many students with feelings of loneliness, distress, anger, and boredom. Many developed depression, anxiety, and stress or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), says a Yale University study published this year in the journal Child Psychiatry & Human Development. This exacerbated the rising, yet overlooked, mental-health issues in the modern world.
The decision by Al-Fanar Media and UNIMED to launch the joint survey project came as part of the two organisations’ partnership and ambitious plan to investigate academic issues relevant for their networks and the whole Euro-Mediterranean region.
The two organisations agreed to focus the first survey on mental health issues, the way they are perceived in the Euro-Mediterranean countries, and how they are treated within the higher education institutions of the region. It also takes into account the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision by Al-Fanar Media and UNIMED to launch the joint survey project came as part of the two organisations’ partnership and ambitious plan to investigate academic issues relevant for their networks and the whole Euro-Mediterranean region.
Two separate polls have been developed. One is addressed to students, to collect their experiences regarding mental health issues and the support they got or that was available from their university. The other is addressed to the academic and administrative staffs of higher education institutions to gather information about the services they provide and how they work.
The analysis of the data collected will serve as a basis for a series of articles by Al-Fanar Media and to explore further actions that the two organisations could develop together to contribute to improving the current situation and the academic community’s well-being.
Students can take their survey by clicking here. Faculty and staff members can take their survey here. Both surveys should be completed before July 14, 2023.
Al-Fanar Media is an independent online publication that focuses on higher education, research and culture in the Arab world. It has a deep belief that education and the independent pursuit and sharing of knowledge are the founding stones of the region’s rebirth.
UNIMED is a network of 153 universities and research institutions in 25 countries on both shores of Mediterranean. It was founded in October 1991 by Prof. Franco Rizzi to bring together the universities of the Mediterranean countries in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Related Reading
- Lebanese Students Find Mental Health Support Through Their Universities
- Iraqi Universities’ Psychological Support Units Struggle to Meet Needs
- International Students in the Gulf Cope With the Stress of Isolating in Dorms
Scholarships – Facebook – Newsletter
