COVID-19 mental health impacts on academic engagement: a study on students of Egypt and India

Purpose This study aims to investigate the association between COVID-19-related fear and academic engagement, perceived stress and life satisfaction among college students in two countries – Egypt in Africa and India in Asia, during the pandemic. The study also aims to analyze the moderating role of gender in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data collected from 1,125 college students from India and 1,145 college students from Egypt. Findings Positive correlations were found between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress among the college students of Egypt and India, while negative correlations were found between fear of COVID-19 and both student engagement and life satisfaction. The strength of these relationships was found to be stronger in the Egyptian sample compared to the Indian sample. Gender was found to be a significant factor in the relationships between the variables studied. In the Indian sample, female respondents appeared to experience more mental health concerns and academic impacts than male respondents. In the Egyptian sample, however, the gender effects varied for the different relationships between the fear of COVID-19 and the other chosen variables. Originality/value The results emphasize the need to reevaluate and monitor policies and resources to promote positive mental health among adolescents, especially during times of crisis. The study stands among the pioneers that investigated a comparative study of two countries to check the mental health impacts on the study engagement during the pandemic.