Lived experiences of Indian Youth amid COVID-19 crisis: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Background: COVID-19 and the resultant lockdowns have caused a global discomposure. Out of a plethora of ramifications of this unusual state, mental health problems are becoming a serious concern. Considering the peculiarity of the situation, encapsulation of the lived experiences of people affected by COVID-19 may lead us towards a better understanding and control of the situation. Aim: The aim of the present study was to get an in-depth analysis of the lived experiences of Indian youth amid COVID-19 crisis and its impact on their mental health. Method: Ten college going students were telephonically interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule to elicit participants’ experiences with COVID-19 and the impact it has posed on their mental health. Transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: The analysis revealed three master themes: (1) ‘Impact on mental health’, (2) ‘Positive experiences’ and (3) ‘Ways of coping amid the crisis’. Conclusion: The study draws attention to the mental health concerns of Indian youth amid the current crisis. The findings also highlight the positive outcomes of the crisis as well as the different ways of coping adopted by young individuals in India.

In India, researches on the pandemic borne mental health crisis also suggest an increase in mental health morbidity, such as paranoia, anxiety, sleeping difficulties, panic behaviour, constant worrying and compulsive hoarding (Roy et al., 2020). Notably, most of the studies on mental health amid COVID-19 have focused on groups, such as health workers and paramedics. Although such studies do indicate significant distress amongst these groups in the form of anxiety, depression, burnout, fear of contraction, frustration, fatigue, impaired sleep (Banerjee, 2020;Sarangi, 2020), the focus did not shift to other equally susceptible groups such as the youth, specifically students, who were left stranded with ambiguity with respect to their future. Students, who were in their final term, are still stuck with uncertainties regarding their degrees and future employment prospects. The concerns of the well-being of Indian youth hold paramount importance and, thus, require a voice. It is to be further noted that the existing Indian researches on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health are mostly quantitative in nature. To move ahead of the rudimentary knowledge about the issues pertaining to mental health amid COVID-19 crisis, we require an in-depth insight into individual experiences We, therefore, adopted the framework of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The advocates of IPA, Smith and Osborn (2008), considered it to be the best method to examine novel situations that lead to emotionally charged experiences, such as the one we are witnessing now. Furthermore, IPA follows the phenomenological approach, which allows the researcher to capture the participant's life world, along with the way they make sense of their experiences of an event or a phenomenon and attach meanings to those (Smith, 2004). Thus, the objective of the present study was to gain a rich understanding of how the young college going adults experienced the unusual circumstances and how the unfolding challenges posed by COVID-19 affected their mental health. The study aimed at capturing their lived experiences and ways of attaching meaning to the situation.

Participant recruitment
Considering the sampling requirements of IPA, a purposive sample of ten college going students, (eight females; two males) with Mean age 23.8 years (range 20-27 years) participated in the study (see Table 1 for demographic details). They were explained the purpose of the research and all of their queries were promptly addressed. After seeking their consent to participate and have the interview recorded, each participant was telephonically interviewed by the first author. The interviews lasted between 30 and 55 minutes and manual transcription produced ten individual verbatim transcripts.

Interview schedule
Using the funneling approach (Smith & Osborn, 2008), questions of the interview schedule were designed to be flexible, neutral and non-leading. Appropriate prompts were used with initial questions, to encourage the participants to elaborate on the details. Every subsequent interview was re-defined by taking novel inputs from the previous one to ensure refinement of the original schedule. Some of the questions asked were as follows: 1. What were your initial thoughts when you first came to know about COVID-19? 2. In what ways has the situation impacted you? 3. How are you coping with the present circumstances?

Data analysis (IPA)
The verbatim transcripts were used as raw data for analysis using IPA (Smith & Osborn, 2008;Smith & Shinebourne, 2012). Below are the steps that were followed during analysis: 1. Transcripts were read and re-read thoroughly to obtain a general idea of the participant's account.
Simultaneously, the emergent themes as well as novel details by the participants were noted. 2. Next, the transcripts were re-visited and titles were given to the themes that emerged to enable a higher level of abstraction, while keeping the original account of the participants intact. 3. The emergent themes were noted, yet again, and condensed to get the 'core essence' of the lived experiences of the participants. 4. Next, clusters of related themes across the transcripts were identified and a list of master themes was produced by the first and second authors, separately, in order to ensure face validity. The master and the subordinate themes were later refined and modified by the third author, before they were agreed upon and finalized by all the authors. The goal was to make sure that the analysis matched the participants' accounts and each account presented was justified by the data.

Ethical considerations
Ethical approval was obtained by the Institutional Ethical Committee for Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India, on 22/07/20. Participants were assured of the confidentiality of their interviews and the subsequent data arising from the same. It was made sure that the anonymity of the participants was protected by all means, for which they were given pseudonyms and any information that could reveal their identity was wiped out from the transcripts. The data was stored in a password protected folder.
They were asked to reach out to the researchers if they felt any discomfort during and after the interviews. The participants were also given a contact list of mental health professionals, in case they needed professional help.

Findings
The present investigation was guided by an interview schedule, which was constructed to bring out in-depth responses by the study participants, pertaining to their experiences amid the COVID-19 crisis. Data analysis led to the development of three master themes that could suffice the objectives of the study. The findings can be outlined in terms of the following master themes (Table 2)

Master theme 1: Impact on mental health
This master theme described how the mental health of the participants was affected amid the pandemic and the lockdown that followed. The participants were simply asked to describe their initial responses to the pandemic. They were later asked to elaborate upon how the unusual scenario and the restrictions brought about by the lockdown had impacted their mental health and well-being.
Anxiety-related symptoms. In most of the cases, anxietyrelated symptoms happened to be the immediate response to the situation. Most of the participants described their anxiety to be extremely draining. Sneha expressed her anxiety multiple times during the entire interview. In fact, anxiety was the most predominant symptom in her case. On the other hand, Myra's anxiety A few participants reported a general loss of interest in usual activities. For Myra, finding happiness in her daily routine was challenging. She had been trying to find happiness by engaging in recreational activities. However, her attempts failed and the disappointment led to a disinterest in pursuing anything at all. She also reported unexplained fatigue and lethargy. The uncertainty expressed by Myra had a hint of fear and apprehension regarding her internship. She had started interning very recently and the mere anticipation of the economic downfall of India added to her distress.

Myra
Interpersonal stress. The lockdown has confined people to their homes which appeared to be a major problem for our participants.

Zara:
My parents make me anxious [. . .] I have to live with them, no matter how they behave with me.
From the above excerpt, it can be interpreted that Zara's conflicts with her parents got worse because of the lockdown. The situation left her no choice but to bear with the mistreatment.
Sneha reported having troubles with her friends and romantic partner. She complained of feeling distant from her friends because she could not meet them.

Sneha:
'I really want to meet them (friends) because I find peace with them [. . .] I feel distant.
She further reported that her relationship with her romantic partner was getting severely affected because of her disrupted mental health.

Sneha:
I'm constantly on a very toxic level in the relationship with him and constantly badgering him, or fighting with him to get attention.
From the above scripts, it can be interpreted that COVID-19 and the imposition of lockdown have significantly impacted Indian youth in terms of their mental health. Most of the participants appeared to be extremely disturbed and emotionally overwhelmed.

Master theme 2: Positive experiences
Interestingly, a few participants reported positive experiences and desirable changes in their overall well-being. For many, the lockdown was an opportunity to relax and bond with their family members. They reported having gone through a positive transformation during the lockdown.

Faiza:
Honestly speaking, it has been very good for me because I started practising hygienic practices rigorously, which will help me in the future. I have gotten more time with my family [. . .]  Here, Faiza reported feeling better than she did before the outbreak took place, in terms of bonding with friends and family. She further reported a positive change in her sleep cycle. Rishi, on the other hand, expressed the joy he derived by appreciating the way nature was healing. He also stated that keeping a track of his emotions helped him with emotional healing.

Rishi:
I feel emotionally sound at this point of time.
[. . .] nature is healing itself. I see birds and trees, I stargaze, and it looks beautiful.
Many participants expressed similar emotions regarding the positive changes in the environment. They seemed to have derived peace and happiness by looking at the more positive sides of the situation.
Master theme 3: Ways of coping amid the crisis. The final master theme described the ways our participants coped with the situation. One of the objectives of the current study was also to understand how well Indian youth is withstanding the impact of the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown. Participants were simply asked to describe what helped them cope with the situation and how well they were able to make sure that they were physically and mentally balanced.
Preventive measures. The majority of participants reported to be following preventive measures religiously to keep themselves and their family members safe. Following these measures helped them lessen the stress and the fears of contracting the virus. Both Sneha and Adaah were trying to build their immunities to make sure they were safe. Reportedly, these changes reduced their stress.
Recreational activities and social media. As a means to cope, participants also reportedly engaged in recreational activities to counter boredom and monotony.

Sneha:
Whenever I'm bored and a little free, I start reading a book. Saanvi: And I have been doing some art these days Tanvi: Every day I am listening to one or the other live poetry or music recitation.
A few participants reported spending most of their time on social media to stay in touch with friends and keep themselves updated.

Discussion
The study explored the lived experiences of Indian youth, specifically the college going students, amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. It further sought to understand how the outbreak and the resultant lockdown affected the mental health of young adults of India and in what ways were they able to cope with the circumstances. A detailed idiographic analysis analysis could present rich accounts of the impact of the current global health crisis on the mental health and coping capacities of the participants. The majority of participants reported a host of mental health issues. Anxiety and depressive symptomatology were the most frequent complaints, along with disturbances in sleeping patterns, bodily aches and pains, and uncertainty. Their accounts were consistent with the findings of most of the recent researches on COVID-19 borne mental health complications (Brooks et al., 2020;Roy et al., 2020). Participants reported frequent crying outbursts, loss of a sense of purpose, and unproductivity. The majority of these concerns seemed to have stemmed from the lack of mobilisation caused by the lockdown and perceived loneliness more than the fears evoked by the outbreak itself. This finding is supported by existing knowledge that does indicate the association between social isolation, loneliness and mental health (Brummett et al., 2001;Mushtaq et al., 2014;Seeman, 2000). Another plausible reason for the mental health deterioration of the participants appears to be the lack of social participation, which is known to act as a protective factor against depression and other mental morbidities (Takagi et al., 2013).
Participants also presented with significant distress caused by the conflicts within their families. This, again, seems to be a negative outcome of the confinement caused by the lockdown. Participants reported being mistreated by their parents in particular. To understand whether this was one of the repercussions of the situation or it was a regular state of affairs for the participants, we needed to understand their family climate prior to the present situation, which was beyond the scope of the current study. On the contrary, few participants reported having positive experiences with their families, despite being in such a difficult situation. For them, the lockdown was an opportunity to bond with their family members and also take note of their own emotions.
As far as dealing with the crisis was concerned, the majority of the participants reportedly resorted to preventive measures to make sure they were safe. Preventive measures were a way of coping for them, since they assured them of safety, ultimately lowering the levels of stress associated with contracting the virus. Participants adhered to the preventive protocols suggested by the WHO and other major organisations, which included frequently washing and sanitising hands, social distancing and using protective masks in public. Some participants resorted to physical activity, healthy eating and consumption of dietary supplements to keep their immunity strong. Engaging in recreational activities, hobbies and social media were also reported by the participants, as ways to cope. Impressively, the participants did not resort to negative or emotionally driven coping strategies, which was a positive signal.
Regardless of their nature and symptomatology, pandemics have always led to global mental health crisis. Past mental health researches on epidemics, such as SARS, MERS and H1N1 have found the outbreaks to cause major mental health issues and psychiatric morbidities (Lee et al., 2018;Maunder et al., 2003;Page et al., 2011). The core findings of the present study suggest the same. The study also indicates the importance of recognising at-risk populations and providing them with timely facilitation. People who are young and looking forward to building a professional future are surrounded by uncertainties. These micro-level issues, that often go unattended, cannot be covered in quantitative investigations. To encapsulate the very core of these issues, addressing the lived experiences of people, holds a lot of significance.
In terms of future research, it would be very substantial to carry out qualitative enquiries and capture the basic, yet in-depth, essence of people's experiences with the COVID-19 crisis. It would be useful to focus on different sets of populations that are not receiving the attention of contemporary researchers working to investigate the likelihood of a future global mental health pandemic.

Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.