Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology logoLink to Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
. 2023 Apr 2;14:100184. doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100184

Student stress and mental health during online learning: Potential for post-COVID-19 school curriculum development

Zalik Nuryana a,∗, Wenbin Xu b, Luky Kurniawan c, Natri Sutanti d, Syahdara Anisa Makruf e,g, Indah Nurcahyati f
PMCID: PMC10066862  PMID: 37038597

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the trend of publications on student stress and mental health topics during online learning as well as the potential for post-COVID-19 curriculum development. 1456 articles were analyzed by the bibliometric method. Data were obtained from the Scopus database consisting of 1382 articles, 73 review articles, 1 conference article. Based on the analysis, Li X is the most productive author with 16 documents, while in terms of the number of citations, Wang C ranks first with 3897 citations. Meanwhile the most frequently used keywords were COVID-19 (n = 862), followed by stress (n = 312), mental health (n = 260), anxiety (n = 248), and depression (n = 214). These represent the trend of publications related to the topics discussed in 2020. Moreover, alternative research themes such as online learning, higher education, sleep, loneliness, perceived stress, insomnia, emotional intelligence, and psychological resilience can be further investigated in the future. This article recommends developing a curriculum that can accommodate various issues during COVID-19 and the changing learning climate after the pandemic. The potential for post-COVID-19 school curriculum development is also discussed.

Keywords: Student stress, Mental health, Online learning, Curriculum development

Highlights

  • •

    The COVID-19 outbreak can cause some psychological problems such as stress on individuals.

  • •

    The increasing trend of studies on mental health problems during COVID-19 shows that all parties must be more serious in dealing with this outbreak.

  • •

    The education system needs to be adjusted immediately so that mental health problems, especially student stress.

  • •

    Mental health problems during COVID-19 experienced a significant increase, especially student stress.

1. Introduction

COVID-19 or coronavirus disease 2019 is a new disease caused by a virus from the SARS-CoV-2 group [1,2]. The first case of this disease occurred in Wuhan City, China at the end of December 2019. COVID-19 spreads quickly and infects a number of countries, including Indonesia [3]. The COVID-19 outbreak can cause some psychological problems such as stress on individuals [4]. Various limitations and narrowing of individual movement space during the pandemic due to various policy changes in various sectors had a significant impact in the education sector such as disruption of mental health, the emergence of stress on individuals, and the threat of a sense of individual success due to the limited individual freedom to solve problems and make strategies [5].

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KPPPA) in Indonesia for more than 3200 elementary to high school students in July 2020, 13% of respondents experienced symptoms that lead to stress disorders and mild to severe depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when following the online learning. Data that were taken by surveying students in 34 provinces showed that the percentage of female students with symptoms suggestive of depressive disorder was higher than the male students. The most common emotional symptoms felt by respondents were sadness and irritability. The survey results also revealed that the older the respondents, the higher the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression. About 93% of respondents who showed symptoms of depression were in the range of 14–18 years, while the other 7% were in the age range of 10–13 years [6]. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem of education has always been an interesting theme to study [7].

It is imprecise how many cycles of COVID-19 each country may experience. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic causes a crisis of health services, education, and economic paralysis that has a wide impact in many countries due to the restriction policy. In the future, quarantine will certainly become mandatory and regulations will be enforced to prevent the spread of this virus in which the policy will be done more strictly [8]. In the COVID-19 situation, various preventive actions must be taken to suppress the spread of the virus. This is what forces schools to do online learning by utilizing technology as a learning alternative. Adapting to new technology is uneasy and challenging for some students and teachers. Moreover, using video conferencing for online learning can cause physical and mental exhaustion for students.

Students experience increased anxiety when joining online learning [9], and it turns out that excessive internet use during online learning also increases symptoms of stress and depression in students due to demographic and environmental factors that do not fully support the availability of internet connections [10]. The negative mental health consequences of online learning among students can include escalated stress and depression. As a research focused on student stress patterns during COVID-19, the study aims to address the following research questions (RQs): (a) the most prolific authors and affiliates in publications; (b) trends in keywords and novelty in future research on student stress during COVID-19; (c) potential for post-COVID-19 school curriculum development.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Study design

This study uses a bibliometric method to quantitatively analyze documents indexed in the Scopus database. Since this study excluded human subjects, a review of board approval was unnecessary. The bibliometric study is based on a systematic bibliographical analysis of the literature related to the central study theme, following a sequence of steps: (1) define the search criteria and keywords; (2) select the Scopus database; (3) adjust and refine the research criteria; (4) fully export the results; (5) analyze using bibliometrix application; (6) create conclusion and recommendation for future research (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

Open in a new tab

The six stages of bibliometric analysis, which include defining search criteria, selecting a database, refining the research, exporting the final data, analyzing it using VosViewer, and drawing conclusions and recommendations for future research. The analysis was conducted on 1456 publications.

The practice of using bibliometric analysis as a tool for sifting through and evaluating significant amounts of scientific data is becoming increasingly common and respectable. It makes it possible for us to dissect the subtle changes that have taken place over the course of a particular field's evolution while also shedding light on the developing aspects of that field [11]. BA identified research patterns, trends, and visualizes metadata. To identify articles that match the research objectives, the keywords: “student” AND “stress” AND “covid-19″ were used. These keywords became the boundaries of the researched theme.

2.2. Data analysis

The bibliometric analysis uses bibliometric theory to analyze relevant literature using mathematical and statistical approaches to investigate research in various fields, including education [[12], [13], [14], [15]]. This study used the VOSViewer application version 1.6.16 to analyze the bibliography. VOSViewer is a freely available computer program for building and viewing bibliometric maps. Contrary to most of the software programs used for bibliometric maps, VOSViewer pays particular attention to bibliometric map graphical representation. VOSViewer features are especially useful in easy-to-interpret large bibliometric maps [16]. VOSViewer assists to display publication metadata visualizations such as bibliographic conformity, co-authorship, and co-citation.

3. Results and discussions

The increasing trend of studies on mental health problems during COVID-19 shows that all parties must be more serious in dealing with this outbreak [17]. It can be concluded that all sectors must immediately adapt to their circumstances and needs, including education. The education system needs to be adjusted immediately so that mental health problems, especially student stress, do not continuously suffer the students. The appropriate strategy will determine the success of the education system [18]. Although it is predicted that the situation will return to normal as before COVID-19, the old education system will certainly not be enough to be used after COVID-19 because many changes have occurred. Education, like other important sectors, has a big responsibility in maintaining the continuity of education for the future development of the country [19]. Therefore, it is important to see how the trend of publications about student stress so that education does not repeat the confusion of the education system after COVID-19.

3.1. The most prolific authors and affiliates in publications

Fig. 2 provides an overview of the authors who contributed to research on student stress during COVID-19. The analysis used is bibliographic coupling with unit analysis co-authors. Co-authorship author can be used to view and analyze the productivity of each researcher. This analysis involved a minimum number of documents of an author 5, of the 6271 authors, and 39 meet the thresholds. The 39 authors were mapped into 4 clusters represented by a color on a circle with details cluster 1 in red, cluster 2 in green, cluster 3 in blue, and cluster 4 in yellow. From Fig. 2, it can be seen that based on the number of documents, Li X becomes the most productive author with 16 documents, followed by Wang Y with 15 documents, Zhang Y with 12 articles, Wang X and Zhang L with 11 documents, Zhang X with 10 documents, Zhang J with 9 documents, Liu Y with 8 documents, Ye B with 8 documents, and Arslan G with 7 documents. Meanwhile, in terms of the number of citations, Wang C ranks first (n = 3.897 citations), followed by Wang X (n = 664), Lee J (n = 557), Wang Y (n = 416), Zhang Y (n = 416), Xu J (n = 321), Zhang J (n = 304), Huang L (n = 321), Li X (216), and Liu X (n = 217).

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

Open in a new tab

Authors who contributed to the research theme using bibliographic coupling with unit analysis co-authors involved a minimum number of documents of an author 5, of the 6271 authors.

The article that received the most citations was Wang C's article entitled “Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China” [20]. This article discusses the psychological impact, depression, and stress during COVID-19 with recommendations for formulating psychological interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups during COVID-19. In the context of education, students also experienced stress due to several factors, such as students having to spend hours in front of their computer for online learning, isolation which made them feel depressed, and the absence of a curriculum that could accommodate various mental health problems that have currently emerged. Meanwhile, the next most cited article was a paper by Wang X entitled “Investigating Mental Health of US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study” [21]. This study used a Cross-Sectional Survey Study, with An online survey was conducted among undergraduate and graduate students recruited from Texas A&M University via email. The results showed a majority of participants (n = 1443, 71.26%) indicated that their stress/anxiety levels had increased during the pandemic and less than half of the participants (n = 882, 43.25%) indicated that they were able to cope adequately with the stress related to the pandemic situation. This article demonstrates that people are able to adequately cope with situation-related stress. The proportion of respondents showing depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts was quite worrying. Respondents reported academic, health, and lifestyle concerns caused by the pandemic. Due to the unpredictable length and severity of the outbreak, this concern needs to be further understood and addressed. This study recommends being able to map a research roadmap that can be beneficial in the future.

Meanwhile, the analysis used to find the contributing affiliations was the Co-authorship analysis with the type of countries analysis. The minimum number of documents of an organization was 3 out of a total of 4454 affiliates, with a visual display of 10 affiliates. Table 1 shows the 10 affiliates with the highest total documents. Department of public health and informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh was in the first position with 5 documents and 162 total citations. Meanwhile, the Department of medical education, college of medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia had 5 documents and 90 total citations in the second rank. This analysis requires at least an affiliate to have at least 3 documents, so affiliates that have documentation below three are not included in this analysis.

Table 1.

Affiliates that contribute to the total documents, total citations, and link strength.

No. Affiliation TD TC LS
1 Department of public health and informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh 5 162 6
2 Department of medical education, college of medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 5 90 0
3 Center of mental health education and research, school of psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Avenue, Nanchang, 330022, China 4 27 3
4 Department of psychology, school of public health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China 4 130 3
5 Department of psychology, University Of Chinese Academy Of Sciences, Beijing, China 4 21 1
6 Faculty of psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China 4 13 0
7 International Network On Personal Meaning, Toronto, On, Canada 4 43 0
8 Center for public health initiatives, University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa, United States 3 113 3
9 Clinical sciences department, College Of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 3 52 0
10 Connecticut council on problem gambling, Wethersfield, CT, United States 3 66 8
Open in a new tab

Note: TD: total documents, TC: total citations, LS: link strength.

An interesting finding is that the Department of public health and informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh still occupies the 1st position for the most total citations (n = 162) followed by the School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China (n = 130), and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, the United States (n = 113). The development of citation analysis has been characterized by the discovery of new techniques and steps, the exploitation of new tools, and the study of different units of analysis. This trend has led to rapid growth in both the number and types of studies using citation analysis. The most feasible analysis technique is using citation counting by determining how many citations a document or document set has received over a certain period of time from a particular citation document set. When this count is applied to articles appearing in a particular journal, it can be refined by calculating the impact factor and the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal over a certain period [22,23].

One of the most notable changes has been the discovery and development of new techniques and methods for analyzing citations in scholarly literature. For example, co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and citation network analysis are just a few of the newer methods that have emerged in recent years [24]. In addition to the development of new techniques, the field has also benefited from the introduction of new tools and technologies. For instance, the use of automated citation databases like Web of Science and Scopus has made it easier for researchers to access and analyze citation data. Similarly, the development of software tools for visualizing citation networks has made it possible to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between different research areas [25]. While early research focused primarily on individual articles or authors, more recent studies have explored citation patterns across entire disciplines, countries, and even continents. For example, some researchers have used citation analysis to identify emerging research fronts and trends in particular fields [26], while others have used it to compare the citation practices of different countries and regions [27]. As a result, citation analysis has become an increasingly important tool for understanding the structure and evolution of scholarly communication, as well as for evaluating the impact of individual researchers, institutions, and countries on the field of science [28].

3.2. Trends in keywords and novelty in future research

Keywords are important in research trends. It also helps researchers and readers to easily find topics related to their expertise [29]. The accuracy of choosing keywords will have an impact on easy access to searches and topics that are currently being discussed. Each keyword consisting of one word or variations of two words will determine the literature and research. Keywords are not just common words as it is the arrangement of words that are often typed by researchers when searching for certain information. This arrangement of words is stored by search engines and then used to analyze what the authors are looking for. Therefore, keywords can also be interpreted as “general words that are thought by researchers when they need information.” Fig. 3 is a visualization of keywords that appear in research on student stress during COVID-19. The analysis used co-occurrence that the unit of analysis was author keywords and the minimum number of occurrences of a keyword was 5 of the 2658 keywords and 161 met the threshold. Co-occurrence displays a visualization of the connection between keywords.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

Open in a new tab

A) The most popular keywords in the studied theme using network visualization. B) The most popular keywords in the studied theme using overlay visualization. Includes, COVID-19 with the number of uses (n = 862), stress (n = 312), mental health (n = 260), anxiety (n = 248), depression (n = 214), students (n = 96), perceived stress (n = 49), online learning (n = 40), psychological stress (n = 28), and academic stress (n = 15).

Fig. 3 a. Shows the most popular keywords that are often used in the studied theme, namely; COVID-19 with the number of uses (n = 862), followed by stress (n = 312), mental health (n = 260), anxiety (n = 248), depression (n = 214), students (n = 96), perceived stress (n = 49), online learning (n = 40), psychological stress (n = 28), and academic stress (n = 15). The keyword visualization resulted in 10 clusters, namely cluster 1 (red) includes academic stress, assessment, burnout, college, covid-19, distance learning, education, emergency remote teaching, empathy, engagement, fear of covid-19, higher education, learning, medical education, mental well-being, mindfulness, motivation, nursing student, online, online classes, pakistan, student, teacher, teaching, uncertainty, undergraduate medical education, virtual, wellbeing. Cluster 2 (green) includes adolescence, attitude, Bangladesh, dental education, dental students, dentistry, e-learning, emotional intelligence, gender differences, healthcare workers, online teaching, perceived stress scale, perception, performance, personality, psychological distress, psychology, quarantine, risk perception, saudi arabia, stress management, training, undergraduate students, wellness.

Cluster 3 (blue) includes alcohol, coping, coping styles, emotional well-being, health, health anxiety, lockdown, mood, online education, pandemic, physical activity, post-traumatic stress disorder, quality of life, remote learning, remote teaching, resilience, sleep, social distancing, social isolation, stressors, trauma. Cluster 4 (yellow) includes college student, college students, coping strategies, ecological momentary assessment, hope, insomnia, life satisfaction, lifestyle, loneliness, meta-analysis, online survey, optimism, perceived stress, positive psychology, prevalence, psychological health, psychopathology, rumination, self-efficacy, sleep quality, university, university student, young adults. Cluster 5 (purple) includes china, coping strategy, fear, health personnel, knowledge, medical student, nurses, nursing, nursing students, pandemics, psychological, qualitative research, stress, students, survey.

Cluster 6 (aqua) includes adolescents, children, covid-19 lockdown, depression & mood disorders, mental health, parents, prevention, psychiatry, psychological resilience, psychological stress, public health, risk factors, teachers. Cluster 7 (orange) includes dass-21, emotional distress, epidemic, international students Jordan, medical students, psychological impact, psychological well-being, sars-cov-2, social media. Cluster 8 (brown) includes alcohol use, depressive symptoms, exercise, gender, social support, substance use, university students, well-being. Cluster 9 (light purple) includes adolescent, challenges, isolation, online learning, ptsd, undergraduate, worry. Cluster 10 (pink) includes anxiety, depression, longitudinal study, posttraumatic stress disorder, sense of coherence.

Cluster 1 mainly focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and wellbeing. It includes topics such as distance learning, online classes, fear of COVID-19, mental wellbeing, and motivation. This cluster has overlaps with Cluster 7, which also includes COVID-19, psychological impact, and emotional distress. Cluster 2 primarily focuses on mental health and wellness, including emotional intelligence, stress management, and wellbeing. It also includes dental education and healthcare workers. Cluster 4 also includes mental health-related topics such as coping strategies, insomnia, and psychological health, but it mainly focuses on college students and young adults. Cluster 3 mainly focuses on health-related topics such as physical activity, quality of life, and social distancing. It also includes coping styles, health anxiety, and trauma. Cluster 5 includes research related to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in China, and it mainly focuses on nursing students, medical students, and health personnel. Cluster 6 includes research related to mental health in children and adolescents, with a focus on depression, anxiety, and stress. It also includes risk factors, prevention, and psychological resilience.

Cluster 8 primarily focuses on the impact of gender, social support, and substance use on the wellbeing of university students. Cluster 9 focuses on the challenges of online learning and isolation in undergraduate students, while Cluster 10 includes longitudinal studies on mental health, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. In summary, there are several overlaps and relationships between the clusters, indicating that research on these topics is often interrelated and interconnected. These clusters provide an overview of the different aspects of mental health and wellbeing that have been studied in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Meanwhile, the novelty based on keywords can be seen in Fig. 3 b. The dark green color indicates the average number of publications appearing in the year under analysis. Novelty is indicated by circles and keywords in bright colors. According to VOSViewer, the yellower color indicates the novelty of the time of publication. The word COVID-19 has a darker color as it is the core keyword that can stand alone or follow by other keywords related to COVID-19. Keywords that have novelty include online learning, higher education, sleep, loneliness, perceived stress, insomnia, emotional intelligence, and psychological resilience.

The authors used online learning as the theme for analysis based on Fig. 3. Stress can have both positive and negative effects on student learning processes and outcomes. Furthermore, online learning brings unique challenges for each student. Therefore, education needs to provide a bridge for the gap between the learning theory and the current situations. This discussion provides recommendations for new research frameworks to explore and understand what factors influence students' perceptions of stress and how stress can have a positive impact on students [30]. Furthermore, the theme of loneliness is also an interesting topic to study for future research. Loneliness is believed to be one of the causes of students' mental health problems during COVID-19. This is assumed because the isolation period at home causes prolonged loneliness, so it can have an unfavorable academic impact on students [31]. Some of these potential keywords are strengthened by thematic map analysis which provides a clearer picture related to keywords.

Based on Fig. 4, it can be seen that stress, anxiety, and depression are basic themes that can be developed with derivatives from keywords that often accompany them. Furthermore, burnout, e-learning, and mindfulness can be themes that also have novelty in terms of the novelty based on the year of publication. Meanwhile, the niche theme quadrant displays students, pandemics, and fear. On the other hand, COVID-19 has become an emerging theme, while resilience and coping are themes that have emerged for a long time and are still often used today. Researchers in the same field can use those themes as a reference to determine the research theme in order to have novelty both in terms of research and methodology.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

Open in a new tab

Thematic map analysis uses 4 quadrants, namely niche themes, emerging or declining themes, basic themes, and motor themes.

3.3. Potential for post-COVID-19 school curriculum development

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools around the world to transition to online learning, leading to significant changes in the educational system. While this transition has been challenging for students, it has also led to increased stress and anxiety levels. Research has shown that student stress during online learning is a major concern, with many students experiencing increased stress levels due to the unfamiliarity of the online environment, uncertainty about the future, and difficulties in adjusting to remote learning [32,33]. Student stress during online learning has been found to have a negative impact on mental health. According to a study by Yaghi, students who experienced higher levels of stress during online learning reported poorer mental health outcomes, including increased anxiety, depression, and overall psychological distress [34]. Similarly, a study by Zhai found that students who experienced higher levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic had poorer mental health outcomes, including higher levels of depression and anxiety [35].

The relationship between student stress and mental health during online learning highlights the need for schools to develop effective strategies to support students' well-being. One potential solution is to incorporate mental health support into the school curriculum. For example, a study found that the inclusion of mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in a post-COVID-19 school curriculum can help reduce student stress levels and improve mental health outcomes [36,37]. This approach has the potential to help students develop the skills they need to manage stress and anxiety and may be an effective way to promote overall well-being among students. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of addressing student stress and mental health during online learning. Research has shown that student stress during online learning has a negative impact on mental health, and that incorporating mental health support into the school curriculum may be an effective solution. As schools continue to navigate the challenges of the pandemic, it is important to prioritize students' well-being and develop strategies to support their mental health during this difficult time.

To support students with anxiety and stress, schools should foster a structured learning environment, adhere to the course schedule, communicate changes or updates promptly, adapt assignments to the learning environment, utilize campus, local, state, and national resources, practice self-care, and extend grace [38]. In these circumstances, the most common symptom of depression and anxiety is dissatisfaction with students' academic performance which shows a decline during online learning. Students who live alone during quarantine are more prone to depression during online learning [39]. In Pakistan, for example, curriculum development continues to be pursued. This shows that in any condition education must continue. Due to the demands of COVID-19, the top-down curriculum has not been able to accommodate learning needs during the outbreak, so it is recommended that the curriculum should be updated to be more specific, responsive to the needs of students, and supportive to the independent learning [40]. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided enough experience to plan the next step in education. This situation makes all countries have to think thoroughly to maintain the continuity of education during and after COVID-19. If the learning process is the basis for determining the school curriculum, the learning process must be relevant and responsive to the problems and challenges of countries in a globalized world [41].

What preparations institutions have to undertake in a short period of time and how they meet the needs of students by level and field of study are fundamental questions that must be answered urgently. Reassuring students and parents are also an important element of the institutional response [42]. In addition to normal classroom subjects, teaching must cover a variety of assignments and tasks that consider the COVID-19 pandemic in a global and historical context. To prepare the curriculum, designing student assessments in advance can help teachers stay focused on their works [51]. During closures, educational institutions develop curriculum and plan teaching-learning strategies for the post-COVID-19. When schools reopen, educational institutions devise strategies to restore lost learning and re-enroll students. As a result, developing countries should advance their infrastructure for broadcast teaching, online teaching, and virtual classrooms [43].

The pandemic has highlighted the need for more flexible and adaptable curriculum that can be delivered online or through a hybrid model. This shift towards remote learning has led to the development of new digital tools and online platforms that can be integrated into the curriculum to enhance the learning experience for students [44]. Also, the pandemic has brought to the forefront the importance of mental health and wellbeing in the education system. Schools and educators have been forced to consider the mental health impact of the pandemic on students, leading to the need for the inclusion of mental health support and resources in the curriculum [45]. Further, the pandemic has highlighted the need for a more interdisciplinary approach to education. As the pandemic has affected all areas of society, it has become increasingly clear that a siloed approach to education is no longer sufficient. Instead, there is a need for a more collaborative and interdisciplinary approach that incorporates a range of subjects and skills [46,47].

Covid-19 highlighted the importance of global citizenship and the need for students to have a more global perspective. The pandemic has shown that the world is interconnected, and global issues such as pandemics and climate change require a coordinated global response. The inclusion of global perspectives in the curriculum can help students to develop a sense of global citizenship and understanding of their place in the world [48]. Further, Covid-19 has highlighted the need for a more inclusive and equitable education system. The pandemic has disproportionately affected disadvantaged students, highlighting the need for the education system to be more responsive to the needs of all students. The inclusion of diverse perspectives and experiences in the curriculum can help to create a more inclusive and equitable education system [49]. The education system needs to be revised immediately so that mental health problems, especially student stress, are not prolonged. The best strategy will determine the success of the online learning system. It requires big efforts from all parties to formulate, compile, prepare and develop school curriculum during this outbreak [50]. So that when schools reopen for face-to-face learning, the new curriculum is ready to be implemented and able to accommodate changes within the education system post-COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Strength and limitations

The study, conducted using a bibliometric method, delves deep into a vast number of articles to identify trends and patterns in the field of student stress and mental health during online learning. By adopting a systematic and objective approach, this method provides an accurate and reliable analysis that is of great significance in the current context. It offers insights that are highly relevant and timely as it deals with the impact of COVID-19 on students' mental health, as well as the potential for post-pandemic curriculum development. This study is not just limited to identifying the current trends but also identifies alternative research themes that can be explored in the future. These themes include online learning, higher education, sleep, loneliness, perceived stress, insomnia, emotional intelligence, and psychological resilience. By doing so, the study provides a direction for future research and curriculum development. The recommendations made in the article emphasize the need for developing a curriculum that addresses the issues related to COVID-19 and the changing learning climate. The development of such a curriculum needs to be done immediately so that when schools start to reopen for face-to-face learning, the new curriculum is ready to be implemented.

Meanwhile the limitations of this study. Firstly, the study is limited to articles published in the Scopus database, which is a comprehensive database but may not include all the relevant articles on the topic. Therefore, the scope of the study may not be entirely comprehensive, and some valuable insights may have been missed. Secondly, the analysis is limited to quantitative data, such as the number of articles, citations, and keywords, which may not capture the quality and relevance of the articles. Therefore, some relevant articles with low citation rates may not have been considered, which could have provided valuable insights into the topic. While the study provides valuable insights into the topic, it is crucial to recognize its limitations to gain a holistic understanding of the subject matter. Future studies should consider these limitations and strive to address them to provide a more comprehensive and nuanced analysis.

5. Conclusion

Mental health problems during COVID-19 experienced a significant increase, especially student stress. The increase occurred due to policy changes in all sectors, including education where learning activities in schools were closed and required to conduct online learning. Stress is the most used keyword in this study, followed by mental health, anxiety, depression, and students. Meanwhile, Li X became the most productive author, followed by Wang Y, Zhang Y, Wang X, and Zhang L in the study of student stress. Based on affiliation, the Department of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh is the affiliate with the most total documents. The conclusion of the bibliometric study is the need for efforts from all parties to formulate, compile, prepare and develop school curriculum during and post-COVID-19. The development of this curriculum needs to be done immediately so that when schools start to reopen for face-to-face learning, the new curriculum is ready to be implemented.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the Department of Islamic Education, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia for the granted supports. Also, would like to thank the Kongkow Bibliometrics/SLR Community, For Insights and Inspiration. This article was funded by the LPPM Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia. [No. PD-007/SP3/LPPM-UAD/VII/2022].

References

  • 1.Paules C.I., Marston H.D., Fauci A.S. Coronavirus infections—more than just the common cold. JAMA. 2020;323(8):707–708. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.0757. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Wang D., et al. Clinical characteristics of 138 hospitalized patients with 2019 novel coronavirus–infected pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA. 2020;323(11):1061–1069. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.1585. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Sohrabi C., et al. World Health Organization declares global emergency: a review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Int. J. Surg. 2020;76:71–76. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.02.034. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Bao Y., Sun Y., Meng S., Shi J., Lu L. “2019-nCoV epidemic: address mental health care to empower society. Lancet. 2020;395(10224):e37–e38. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30309-3. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Mariani R., Renzi A., Di Trani M., Trabucchi G., Danskin K., Tambelli R. The impact of coping strategies and perceived family support on depressive and anxious symptomatology during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) lockdown. Front. Psychiatr. 2020:1195. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.587724. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Wijaya C. 2021. Covid-19: ‘Stres, Mudah Marah, Hingga Dugaan Bunuh Diri’, Persoalan Mental Murid Selama Sekolah Dari Rumah.https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-55992502 [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Nuryana Z., Nurcahyati I., Rahman A., Setiawan F., Fadillah D. The challenges and solutions of teachers' problems to achieve education golden era. Univers. J. Educ. Res. Feb. 2020;8(2):583–590. doi: 10.13189/ujer.2020.080230. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Tandon R. The COVID-19 pandemic, personal reflections on editorial responsibility. Asian J. Psychiatr. Apr. 2020;50 doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102100. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Husky M.M., Kovess-Masfety V., Swendsen J.D. Stress and anxiety among university students in France during Covid-19 mandatory confinement. Compr. Psychiatr. Oct. 2020;102 doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152191. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Mamun M.A., Hossain M.S., Siddique A.B., Sikder M.T., Kuss D.J., Griffiths M.D. Problematic internet use in Bangladeshi students: the role of socio-demographic factors, depression, anxiety, and stress. Asian J. Psychiatr. Aug. 2019;44:48–54. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.07.005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Donthu N., Kumar S., Mukherjee D., Pandey N., Lim W.M. How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and guidelines. J. Bus. Res. 2021 doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Diem A., Wolter S.C. The use of bibliometrics to measure research performance in education sciences. Res. High. Educ. 2013;54(1):86–114. [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Adams J. The use of bibliometrics to measure research quality in UK higher education institutions. Arch. Immunol. Ther. Exp. 2009;57(1):19–32. doi: 10.1007/s00005-009-0003-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Nylander E., Österlund L., Fejes A. Doing Critical and Creative Research in Adult Education. Brill Sense; 2020. The use of bibliometrics in adult education research; pp. 139–150. [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Budd J.M. A bibliometric analysis of higher education literature. Res. High. Educ. 1988;28(2):180–190. [Google Scholar]
  • 16.van Eck N.J., Waltman L. Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics. Aug. 2010;84(2):523–538. doi: 10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Nuryana Z., Al Murshidi G., Rahman A. Publication trends related to schizophrenia, mental health, and depression during COVID-19. Asian J. Psychiatr. 2021:102878. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102878. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Jafari H., Heidari Jamebozorgi M., Amiri Gharaghani M. COVID-19 shows that health education programs in Iran must Be revised. Asia Pac. J. Publ. Health. 2020;32(8):531–532. doi: 10.1177/1010539520947895. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Breslin T. Routledge; 2021. Lessons from Lockdown: the Educational Legacy of COVID-19. [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Wang C., et al. Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Publ. Health. 2020;17(5) doi: 10.3390/ijerph17051729. 1729, Mar. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Wang X., Hegde S., Son C., Keller B., Smith A., Sasangohar F. Investigating mental health of US college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional survey study. J. Med. Internet Res. 2020;22(9) doi: 10.2196/22817. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Smith L.C. 1981. Citation Analysis. [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Gmür M. Co-citation analysis and the search for invisible colleges: a methodological evaluation. Scientometrics. 2003;57(1):27–57. [Google Scholar]
  • 24.White H.D., McCain K.W. Visualizing a discipline: an author co‐citation analysis of information science, 1972–1995. J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Apr. 1998;49(4):327–355. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(19980401)49:4<327::AID-ASI4>3.0.CO;2-W. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Börner K., Chen C., Boyack K.W. Visualizing knowledge domains. Annu. Rev. Inf. Sci. Technol. Jan. 2005;37(1):179–255. doi: 10.1002/aris.1440370106. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Chen C., Ibekwe-SanJuan F., Hou J. The structure and dynamics of cocitation clusters: a multiple-perspective cocitation analysis. J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 2010;61(7):1386–1409, Mar. doi: 10.1002/asi.21309. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Bornmann L., Mutz R. Growth rates of modern science: a bibliometric analysis based on the number of publications and cited references. J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 2015;66(11):2215–2222, Nov. doi: 10.1002/asi.23329. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Moed H.F. Vol. 9. Springer-Verlag; Berlin/Heidelberg: 2005. (Citation Analysis in Research Evaluation). [Google Scholar]
  • 29.McDonnell K.A. The key to keywords. J. Spec. Group Work. Jan. 2010;35(1):3–6. doi: 10.1080/01933920903463361. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 30.Lazarevic B., Bentz D. Student perception of stress in online and face-to-face learning: the exploration of stress determinants. Am. J. Dist. Educ. 2021;35(1):2–15. [Google Scholar]
  • 31.Haikalis M., Doucette H., Meisel M.K., Birch K., Barnett N.P. Changes in college student anxiety and depression from pre-to during-COVID-19: perceived stress, academic challenges, loneliness, and positive perceptions. Emerg. Adulthood. 2021 doi: 10.1177/21676968211058516. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 32.Al Lily A.E., Ismail A.F., Abunasser F.M., Alhajhoj Alqahtani R.H. Distance education as a response to pandemics: coronavirus and Arab culture. Technol. Soc. Nov. 2020;63 doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101317. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 33.Tikkanen L., Pyhältö K., Soini T., Pietarinen J. Crossover of burnout in the classroom–Is teacher exhaustion transmitted to students? Int. J. Sch. Educ. Psychol. 2021 doi: 10.1080/21683603.2021.1942343. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 34.Yaghi A. Impact of online education on anxiety and stress among undergraduate public affairs students: a longitudinal study during the COVID-19 pandemic. J. Publ. Aff. Educ. 2022 doi: 10.1080/15236803.2021.1954469. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 35.Zhai Y., Du X. Mental health care for international Chinese students affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiatr. Apr. 2020;7(4):e22. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30089-4. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 36.Gill S.A., et al. Integrating oral health into health professions school curricula. Med. Educ. Online. Dec. 2022;27(1) doi: 10.1080/10872981.2022.2090308. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 37.Norwich B., Moore D., Stentiford L., Hall D. A critical consideration of ‘mental health and wellbeing’ in education: thinking about school aims in terms of wellbeing. Br. Educ. Res. J. Aug. 2022;48(4):803–820. doi: 10.1002/berj.3795. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 38.Fitzgerald A., Konrad S. Transition in learning during COVID‐19: student nurse anxiety, stress, and resource support. Nurs. Forum. 2021;56(2):298–304. doi: 10.1111/nuf.12547. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 39.Bolatov A.K., Seisembekov T.Z., Askarova A.Z., Baikanova R.K., Smailova D.S., Fabbro E. Online-learning due to COVID-19 improved mental health among medical students. Med. Sci. Educ. 2021;31(1):183–192. doi: 10.1007/s40670-020-01165-y. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 40.Gul R., Khilji G. Exploring the need for a responsive school curriculum to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan. Prospects. 2021;51(1):503–522. doi: 10.1007/s11125-020-09540-8. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 41.Ramrathan L. School curriculum in South Africa in the Covid-19 context: an opportunity for education for relevance. Prospects. 2021;51(1):383–392. doi: 10.1007/s11125-020-09490-1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 42.Nuryana Z. Promoting mental health related to self-esteem during COVID-19: insights from an Indonesian teacher. Asia Pac. J. Publ. Health. Jun. 2022 doi: 10.1177/10105395221107132. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 43.Tadesse S., Muluye W. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on education system in developing countries: a review. Open J. Soc. Sci. 2020;8(10):159–170. [Google Scholar]
  • 44.Hamilton B. International Society for Technology in Education; 2022. Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Tools to Meet the Needs of Every Student. [Google Scholar]
  • 45.Nuryana Z., Xu W., Lu S., Sucipto S., Fadillah D., Kurniawan L. Addressing the long-term impact of COVID-19 on students' mental health. Asian J. Psychiatr. Dec. 2022;78 doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 46.DeCoito I., Estaiteyeh M. Online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: exploring science/STEM teachers' curriculum and assessment practices in Canada. Discip. Interdiscip. Sci. Educ. Res. 2022 doi: 10.1186/s43031-022-00048-z. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 47.Tuan R., Hsia S. An integrated, longitudinal Health Equity curriculum to prepare socially responsible healthcare practitioners. Faseb. J. 2021 doi: 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.s1.03728. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 48.Crawford J., Cifuentes-Faura J. Sustainability in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Sustainability. 1879, Feb;14(3):2022. doi: 10.3390/su14031879. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 49.Salas‐Pilco S.Z., Yang Y., Zhang Z. Student engagement in online learning in Latin American higher education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: a systematic review. Br. J. Educ. Technol. May 2022;53(3):593–619. doi: 10.1111/bjet.13190. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 50.Nuryana Z., Xu W., Lu S. Students mental health during COVID-19: comprehensive government and parental involvement in Indonesia. Asian J. Psychiatr. Jun. 2022 doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 51.Fragouli E. A critical discussion on issues of higher education: Curriculum internationalization, challenges, and opportunities. Int. J. Educ. Learn. Dec. 2020;2(2):67–75. doi: 10.31763/ijele.v2i2.110. [DOI] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology are provided here courtesy of Elsevier

RESOURCES