The impact of online interactions on students’ wellbeing during lockdown

Abstract

As Covid-19 circulated worldwide, lockdowns forced individuals to connect virtually in order to continue maintaining relationships. The current study sought to understand the impact of these online interactions on students’ mental health and wellbeing. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 17 students. Two main themes were uncovered: control (1) and no control (2). Participants reported that having control over online interactions helped them to choose when, how often and with whom to connect as well as disconnect which benefited and enhanced their wellbeing during the lockdown period. On the other hand, lack of control over interactions online resulted in students feeling anxious, stressed and unable to maintain healthy boundaries. The concept of control and its link to wellbeing has previously been explored in literature and this study reinforces the idea that individuals experience an enhanced sense of wellbeing when able to control important areas of their lives.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• online interactions
• UK students
• wellbeing
• control
• mental health