COVID-19 quarantine stressors and management among Lebanese students: a qualitative study

The aim of this research paper is to examine the current situation, emotional reactions of university students and their coping mechanisms during and after the COVID-19 quarantine. The study was undertaken in a major higher education institution in Lebanon. An exploratory qualitative research design was adopted. A phenomenological qualitative method was employed where, semi-structured interviews were carried out among 20 university students during and 3 months after release from quarantine. The qualitative analysis have revealed 5 themes during quarantine period namely “Concerns regarding learning and evaluation methods”, “Overwhelming load”, “Dealing with technical difficulties”, “Confinement”, and “Coping with problems”, in addition to 3 themes after the quarantine period namely “Relief of academic stress”, “Fear of becoming infected and jeopardizing family health”, “Stigma of being infected”. The quarantine has inflicted multiple psychological challenges among university students, which should be highlighted and mediated by higher education institution in order to support the students’ learning and their academic achievement.