ANNOUNCEMENTS
When epidemics spread beyond national boundaries they are termed as pandemics. One such pandemic hit the world in the beginning of 2020 which has been named as Coronavirus or COVID-19. The scientific name of the virus is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which generally spreads through saliva transmission. Around 4.8 million cases have been reported worldwide and the number is still increasing. Pandemics lay a huge toll on human life in terms of social, economic and physical well-being. Though there has been development in the field of psychology and psychiatry, the majority of people still neglect their mental health because of the stigma attached to it. Lockdown and quarantine during pandemics cause psychological effects on individuals as their routine activities become standstill. These effects vary from person to person depending on factors such as social, economic and physical environment. To cope with these effects individuals adopt different mechanisms to feel better. These coping mechanisms can range from healthy to unhealthy ones. It is essential for public health authorities to disseminate information about positive coping mechanisms and reduce the stigma attached to mental health. This study tries to analyse psychological effects caused by COVID-19 and assess some of the coping mechanisms adopted by individuals by the means of primary data collected through online platforms. Several factors which probably affect the psychological behaviour like sources of information, discussions at family level, professional life, perceived risk and the knowledge about disease are deeply studied. This thesis is an attempt to open more ways in which researchers especially in India can explore and help the authorities to develop toolkits which consist of healthy coping mechanisms.
Keywords: Pandemic, COVID-19, psychological effects, coping mechanisms
