Pandemic Affects Youths’ Mental Health

During the pandemic, young adults as a group have often been accused of being most neglectful of the health protocols and less concerned about the health of those in their immediate surroundings.

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A number of people participated in meditation activities organized by the Tergar Indonesia meditation community in Jakarta, Thursday (6/2/2020). Meditation is an effort to maintain mental health.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Many people have lived in uncertainty over the past year since Covid-19 was declared as a global pandemic, as it has severely affected their wellbeing. Although young adults have a lower risk of developing the severe form of Covid-19 than other population groups, they have suffered the most from the pandemic. Isolation, diminishing motivation, loss of income, and a gloomy future cast a shadow over their lives.

Timothy Jose (22), who obtained a bachelor in English literature in 2020 from a university in Jakarta, has been suffering stress and depression. Consulting on his thesis, his graduation and job search were all done online. Fortunately, he found a job two months ago and has been working since then.

Anxiety is also an issue, as his parents are still working outside the home during the pandemic and with reduced incomes.

Also read: Shining a Light on Mental Health

"My father works in a shop that repairs and sells secondhand printers, while my mother works as a veterinary nurse," he said in Jakarta on Friday (9/4/2021).

However, starting a career during a pandemic is not easy. Bretha Celia (24) has already resigned from two jobs. She worked less than six months at each job, as she found it impossible to work at home without any communication with her coworkers

"I became more stressed because I am working away from my parents and I don’t have anyone in Jakarta," she said on Sunday (11/4). In addition, the social restrictions in place exacerbated her loneliness. Before the pandemic, she used to socialize with friends to relieve stress.

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Doctor Ratna Dewi (right) serves patients at the Curhat Clinic, Krian Health Center, Thursday (1/10/2020). Mental health checks and counseling are part of the services provided by the Krian Puskesmas.

She cried almost every day as a result of the stressful situation, and as a consequence, she was often unable to finish her work. She also lost her appetite, and she gradually became introverted.

Budi Setiono (22), who earned his economics bachelor from a private university in Surabaya, has been unemployed for six months. He has sent job applications to many companies but he has received no response. This situation has often made him feel regret that he went to university, because he is still finding it difficult to find a job, even with a degree.

I want to be an entrepreneur but I don’t have capital. I am worried I will be unable to get a decent job.

Uneasy about still needing to ask his parents for money, he decided at the beginning of this year to start a nasi bungkus business. Today, he makes about Rp 50,000 from selling the packaged meals.

"I want to be an entrepreneur but I don’t have capital. I am worried I will be unable to get a decent job,” he said.

Also read: Physical and Mental Health During COVID-19

Anxiety has spread faster than the novel coronavirus. Life changes, increased burdens, and more uncertainty have put pressure on even those who have not contracted the coronavirus.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Residents enjoy a therapeutic fish pond in the education room at the Karet Village Office, South Jakarta, Wednesday (7/4/2021). Karet Kelurahan, Setiabudi has an educational garden in the back of the village office that can be used by local residents. Apart from being a medium for introducing animals, this educational park can be a space for interaction between residents and provide a relaxed atmosphere to reduce tension due to the pandemic.

Clinical psychologist Maharani Ardi Putri, who is also a psychology lecturer at Pancasila University in Jakarta, said the pandemic had wrought a significant impact on the mental health of young adults.

A survey the International Labor Organization (ILO) conducted in August 2020 involving young adults aged 18-29 years in 112 countries showed that the pandemic had a systematic, profound, and disproportionate impact on them. The impact was greater on those who fall in the lower end of the age range, women, and youths in low-income countries.

Also read: Taking Care of Plants, Taking Care of Souls

"The situation is not surprising, because the main duties of young adults is to start work, develop a career and start a family," said Ardi.

Even without a pandemic, young adults often encountered many difficulties. At their age, young adults were typically socially mobile and had very intense social interactions. However, isolation and social restrictions had kept them at home and increased their feelings of loneliness.

The situation is not surprising, because the main duties of young adults is to start work, develop a career and start a family.

Those who had just started working would feel stressful and fatigued from working at home with very flexible working hours and find it difficult to separate their jobs and housework. This made them more sensitive, so they often thought about quitting their jobs.

KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG

Residents run in a field in the Pondok Karya area, South Tangerang, Banten, Monday (30/3/2020). Exercise can increase the body\'s resistance to disease and strengthen mental health.

Psychology professor Nurul Hartini at Airlangga University in Surabaya said that personal responses to unwanted events like the pandemic typically involved grief or depression. However, profound and prolonged grief made it difficult for individuals to accept the situation and could potentially push them to extremes.

"A person who has difficulty following the cycle of grief, namely shock, denial, anger, depression, frustration, letting go, bargaining, dialogue, and acceptance, needs psychological help," said Nurul.

However, getting psychological help is not easy, as it is still limited to big cities. Mental health services also do not come cheap, not to mention that the social stigma associated with mental health makes people reluctant to seek help from health professionals.

The intense mental pressure causes some people to develop suicidal thoughts. A self-assessment survey conducted in 2020 by the Indonesian Psychiatric Association (PDSKJI) tht that involved 4,010 respondents showed that one in five respondents said they had contemplated suicide. The majority of these respondents fell in the 18-29 age range.

It is feared that the longer the pandemic lasts, the more it will increase the level of anxiety and depression, as well as tendency to have suicidal thoughts among these respondents.

Also read: Maintaining Activity and Positive Thinking amid Pandemic

Adityawarman Menaldi, a clinical psychologist and a psychology lecturer at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java, believes that the key to surviving this difficult period is to be adaptable and flexible.

The pandemic is pressuring everyone, without exception. Taking an adaptable and flexible approached will allow a person to see the silver lining in any difficulty, which they can use to reach a better state or situation.

"Everything is possible with an adaptable and flexible will," he said. (SKA/DNA/TAN/BRO/MZW)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.