The use of social media for educational purposes is widespread throughout the world and has become an essential part of daily human communication. The COVID-19 pandemic epidemic drove people all over the world to adopt online education using a variety of digital tools, including social media as a crucial component in the learning process. However, there were issues with social media use for a number of things, including internet services, students’ and teachers’ information and communication technology abilities, integrity, and assurance of educational quality. All aspects of society were impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak because people were instructed to self-quarantine in their houses to stop the virus’s spread. The lockdown has negative effects on mental health, leading to issues including despair, tension, and frustration.

As China entered the era of social media on smartphones, the COVID-19 epidemic, a recent serious public health emergency, was the country’s first big health emergency. According to this survey, many people on social media asked for assistance with quarantines. Prior research on social media use during the pandemic tended to concentrate more on people’s emotional needs and less on content related to quarantine help-seeking. Based on this circumstance, this study used Zhihu, China’s most comprehensive subject discussion forum, to investigate the relationship between the number of postings asking for help with quarantine and the number of new diagnoses at various stages of the epidemic. Those that make requests for assistance on Zhihu come from a variety of backgrounds, occupations, and ages, so the posts’ content is unique and varied. The quantity of posts requesting assistance and the intensity of the epidemic were found to be positively correlated (Li, 2022).

These are different result shown in another survey by Out of 17,876 participants, the mean PA score was 25.5 7.3 while the mean NA score was 19.1 7.1. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that factors like education, knowledge of communicable diseases, satisfaction with epidemic prevention and control measures, risk of infection, impact of the outbreak on daily life, amount of sleep, and frequency of hand washing in the previous two weeks are common determinants of both positive and negative affect schedules. Moreover, whether the student is majoring in medicine and whether they had been outside in the last two weeks were particular factors of PA, while how often they use masks was a specific determinant of NA (Wang, 2020).

 Given the diversity of people’s help-seeking content, this study used topic model analysis and sentiment analysis to explore the key content of people’s quarantine help-seeking posts during the pandemic. In light of the framework of uses and gratifications, we found that people posted the most questions in relation to help with information related to pandemic information and quarantine information. The survey also discovered that the majority of people’s posts during the pandemic were negative in nature. Additionally, it will support the implementation of future mental health intervention initiatives and better address the psychological issues facing the public.

The virus was not finished with China but also attacked other part of Asia for example Jordan, by of December 20, 2020, there were 3,568 fatalities and 275,000 confirmed cases, according to the Ministry of Health (Ministry of Health, 2020). The COVID-19 epidemic has compelled many nations to issue emergency plans and impose social and public limitations. In order to contain COVID-19, the government proclaimed a state of emergency in the middle of March 2020. This prompted severe quarantine, social, and public health measures, as well as lockdown orders. Online education has become popular among college students. Due to this circumstance, kids who were also under parental pressure to follow public health measures and participate in online learning within the constraints of limited information technology devices experienced burden (Hamaideh, 2018).

This study conducted by Hamaideh (2018) is addressing psychological well-being of university students during a critical global situation; the outbreak of coronavirus that resulted in global lockdown and home quarantine. The study aimed at assessing prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety and stress among university students in Jordan during “home-quarantine” due to the outbreak of COVID-19. We found that university students are suffering moderate to high level of depression, anxiety and stress which is higher than typical levels in ordinary circumstances. When comparing our results regarding depression, anxiety and stress with results from the general populations from seven middle-income countries (Vietnam, China, Iran, Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand), higher levels were found among Jordanian students except those among Thailand who have higher levels for depression, anxiety and stress.

However, the Ministry of Health in Jordan has put measures in use to prevent further depressive students, various programs have been put to use such as TeleMHPSS and hotlines where students are encouraged to call for assistance whenever they feel anxious, depressed, or stressed out in order to lessen the psychological distress that students experience during “home-quarantine.” These programs will enable psychiatric nurse practitioners to identify signs of depression, anxiety, or stress early and take appropriate action to stop their development. Also, university administrators ought to give students—including those from abroad—more attention and offer prompt, effective mental health assistance. Moreover, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), particularly Internet CBT, which can stop the transmission of infection during the pandemic, is the most economical evidence-based treatment for psychological symptoms including insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, spirituality and religiosity may lessen the emotional tension.

The Corona Virus was a malicious force that subjugated the entire world and it affected every educational departments including medical students, how do we save the world if the saviours are at risk? This study conducted in Libya where thirteen medical schools responded, as lectures and patient-based education are both based on lectures (Alsoufi, 2020), the highly contagious nature of the virus has made it challenging to carry on with business as normal. Instructors must conduct lectures safely while simultaneously preserving the integrity and continuity of the medical education process because to the COVID-19 pandemic, which puts patients at risk of developing life-threatening diseases. Due to these difficulties, patient care has been constrained because of the emphasis on COVID-19 patients, which limits the opportunity for bedside instruction for medical students.

Developing alternatives has become more important as a result of the disruption to the medical education process. Unfortunately, Libya’s infrastructure has been impacted by its civil conflict and economic catastrophe. Blackouts and unreliable internet connections could thus be a problem for online learning platforms. To analyse their viability and determine whether they are sufficient to support medical students in continuing their study, we must take into account that certain departments have begun offering online lectures for medical students. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to ascertain the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medical students in relation to digital medical education as well as to present an overview of their conditions throughout the pandemic.

Questionnaires were collected from schools in Libya and the results has been as expected. 3.348 full surveys from more than 13 medical schools in Libya were gathered by our team. Based on the distribution of 4,500 paper questionnaires and communications, the expected response rate was 74%. There were 2,390 female participants (71.4% of the sample), compared to 958 male participants (28.6%). The average participant age was 21.87 years, and there was a sizable mean difference between the genders. With 1,199 completed questionnaires, the University of Tripoli had the greatest response rate (35.8%), followed by the University of Benghazi (448 completed questionnaires, 35.8%) (Alsoufi, 2020).

Medical students in Libya are dealing with a number of issues; 12.8% of them reported being internally displaced from their homes due to the local turmoil that has devastated numerous cities, and 40.5% reported having financial difficulties according to this study.

However there were a few proposals that were considered to give students their study hour without any complications. One of the suggested proposals was to engage in case-specific internet forums. Using this method, students are initially given access to a weekly series of intense online cases that simulate clinical roles. They then offer a review of the patient’s history, findings from the physical examination, outcomes of the investigations, and suggested management regimens via an online platform. The subject is then discussed through an online webinar with a teaching and experienced doctor, and students are given the opportunity to ask questions using a particular online platform.

The usage of telemedicine, which has been present for many years, is another suggested way to address the issues related to medical education. Telemedicine, which involves a virtual visit as opposed to an in-person one, so it can be very beneficial in teaching medical students and assisting them in gaining clinical experience by engaging with real patients while being supervised by attending physicians.

This method was favoured in this study by many schools is Virtual clinics as it may give benefits to patients because it is simple to use and permits connectivity without running the danger of spreading infections. It would be advantageous if doctors’ workloads could be lessened, especially during an outbreak, and if clinicians had the chance to treat patients with severe and chronic diseases. Students gave favourable feedback about a virtual clinical experience that entailed direct involvement in patient care while being supervised by doctors in a recent study on emergency medicine training. However, this strategy needs additional testing, and more backing is required for its official adoption in medical schools.

There are many other proposals received and was implemented in India, Delhi as stated in another study. They proposed that the responsible authorities should continue to invest in online education to improve learning experiences once the COVID-19 outbreak is over and educational facilities reopen. They should carefully consider the difficulties encountered during the abrupt switch to online learning and make plans for any upcoming circumstances. It is necessary to perform proper training for educators in digital abilities and enhance student-teacher engagement. To prevent any interference with their studies, disadvantaged kids must have access to digital infrastructure with reliable internet and devices.

It is essential to offer students emotional assistance because many of them are likely to experience stress, anxiety, and despair as a result of the circumstances in Covid-19. Future research in this area might examine the impact of various stress relievers on students’ mental health. Moreover, policies should be developed to account for the requirements of the vulnerable student population. The provision of mental health support would be ensured by improved healthcare management (Chaturvedi, K. Vishwakarma, Singh, 2020).

There are some limitations to this study that should be noted. We should be aware of various restrictions in this study. The testing method utilized is the first constraint. Selection bias is enhanced by its reliance on volunteer participation and digital infrastructure. The outreach to students who do not have access to online learning was interrupted by the imposed travel restrictions. Second, because the study was conducted in a single locale and because classes were delivered online and under lockdown, we anticipate that the findings will be fairly and directly approached to colleges and universities across the country. The cross-sectional form of the survey and lack of a follow-up period for the participants are further limitations of this study.

The daily lives, academic performance, and mental health of pupils have all been significantly impacted by Covid-19. The Covid-19-related pauses highlight important issues and give a chance to better assess potential solutions in the educational field. The new rules and regulations in this direction would lessen some of the effects and assist educators and students get ready for the coming health catastrophe. Effective solutions are required to lessen this disturbance, and such approaches include online instruction followed by practical practice in a secure setting, however the latter may take some time given the ongoing COVID-19 spread. We have discovered that key factors that need to be addressed and taken care of by mental health nurses and counselors at academic institutions and counseling departments include sleep and food disorders, worry over academic grades, and a sense of loneliness. Teachers and administrators must also offer the right kind of psychological support and refrain from overburdening kids during quarantine periods. The COVID-19 outbreak has a negative impact on college and university students. The COVID-19 outbreak has a negative impact on college and university students. We should improve the positive impact of university and college students while strengthening the direction and regulation for negative affect during the epidemic response.

REFERENCES

Alsoufi, A., Alsuyihili, A., Msherghi, A., Elhadi, A., Atiyah, H., Ashini, A., Ashwieb, A., Ghula, M., Ben Hasan, H., Abudabuos, S., Alameen, H., Abokhdhir, T., Anaiba, M., Nagib, T., Shuwayyah, A., Benothman, R., Arrefae, G., Alkhwayildi, A., Alhadi, A., . . . Elhadi, M. (2020, November 25). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education: Medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding electronic learning. PLOS ONE, 15(11), e0242905. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242905

Chaturvedi, K., Vishwakarma, D. K., & Singh, N. (2021, February). COVID-19 and its impact on education, social life and mental health of students: A survey. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105866

Hamaideh, S. H., Al‐Modallal, H., Tanash, M., & Hamdan‐Mansour3, A. (2021, May 14). Depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduate students during COVID‐19 outbreak and “home‐quarantine.” Nursing Open, 9(2), 1423–1431. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.918

Makki, A., & Bali, A. O. (2021, May 10). The Use of Social Media as a Platform in Education: Ramifications of COVID-19 in Iraq. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 10(3), 394. https://doi.org/10.36941/ajis-2021-0093

Li, L., Hua, L., & Gao, F. (2022, December 31). What We Ask about When We Ask about Quarantine? Content and Sentiment Analysis on Online Help-Seeking Posts during COVID-19 on a Q&A Platform in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 780. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010780

Wang, Y., Jing, X., Han, W. et al. Positive and negative affect of university and college students during COVID-19 outbreak: a network-based survey. Int J Public Health 65, 1437–1443 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01483-3