Influence of Social Isolation on the Psychological Well-being of Senior High School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Main Authors: Abad, Arianna Janna A., Craw, Charlemagne Elliot S., Hernandez, Kristine U., Pua, Tatiana Tricia P., Uy, Hugh Trevor T.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: social isolation; psychological well-being; COVID-19 pandemic; family; friends; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2022/paper_frs/6
• Institution: De La Salle University

The COVID-19 pandemic caused countries to implement quarantines and other measures such as online classes to combat the spread of the virus. As these quarantine measures occur, senior high school students are restricted from physical interaction from their families and peers. These drastic measures prevent the quantity or quality of interaction of students with their families and friends thus increasing the possibility of social isolation. Social isolation negatively impacts an individual’s psychological well-being through its categories namely: self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, and autonomy. The main objectives of the study are to measure social isolation in the context of the COVID-19 experiences of the students, to identify the influence of social isolation on the psychological wellbeing of senior high school students in the context of their COVID-19 experiences, and to obtain a deeper understanding of the influence of social isolation on the psychological wellbeing of the students in terms of the six categories of psychological well-being. The research studied the relationship between social isolation as the independent variable and psychological well-being as the dependent variable in the context of the pandemic through a convergent parallel mixed methods design. 98 senior high school students answered the survey containing two scales (M-LSNS and M-RPWBS) and one questionnaire (SIPWBQ). The researchers analyzed that the overall social isolation experienced by senior high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced their overall psychological well-being, meaning that social isolation from family and friends affects one’s psychological well-being negatively.