As a pandemic strikes: A study on the impact of mental stress, emotion drifts and activities on community emotional well-being

The widespread, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore concerns regarding the psychological well-being of people. Recent research revealed various issues impacting mental health of people. However, a systematic study of the emotional drift of the populace, has been precluded so far. Our investigative research seeks to explore stress factors for different subgroups in India, variation in primary emotions during COVID-19 initial phase, and the emotional impact of activities practiced by people to adjust to the new norms. We conduct an online questionnaire-based survey that elicits responses from 958 participants. Our analysis establishes significant correlations between pandemic-induced causative factors and stresses in subgroups and micro-community. Unexpected events during the pandemic disturbed community’s emotional equilibrium. Lastly, we find specific activities demonstrating an ameliorative impact on the emotional well-being of people. Our analysis emphasizes the need for a pre-planned infrastructure to provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) to foster psychological preparedness.