Generation Z undergraduate students’ resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Abstract

Resilience has been documented as an essential component in managing stress. However, understanding how undergraduate students with different sociodemographic characteristics perceive resilience remains understudied. This study aimed to explore how undergraduate students in one university define and build resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students’ perception and preferences for receiving resilience training were additionally solicited. A descriptive qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted. Twenty-seven students were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide via Skype instant messaging. The thematic analysis generated five themes: resilience as enduring and withstanding; the building blocks of resilience; resilience: learning or earning; pedagogical considerations for resilience training; and a blended platform for resilience training. Participants described resilience as an enduring and withstanding trait essential for university students. Resilience can be built from intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors that enhanced resilience included desire to succeed and motivation. Extrinsic factors were relational in nature, and friends, family, teachers, and religion were found to boost resilience. Students had several recommendations in designing resilience training, and they recommended the use of a blended platform. Further, students suggested the use of videos, narratives from resilient individuals, and using reflective practice as a pedagogy in resilience training. Future resilience training should consist of personal and interpersonal factors and should be introduced early during the academic term of students’ university life. As the COVID-19 pandemic compounds an already challenging academic climate, this study lends it findings to expand the resilience literature and develop future resilience training.

Prevalence of mental health problems and sleep disturbances in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Younger nurses self-reported high levels of stress, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic (Czeisler et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2021), which may be associated with a lack of experience with adversity and a general aversion to risks and adverse events. Furthermore, Generation Z students how been found to have lower resilience compared with other generations (Ang et al, 2021). Building the resilience of nursing students is important to maintain their mental and psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic (Labrague, 2021).…”

Entrepreneurial Resilience: A Case Study on University Students

“…Studies in Italy [ 100 ], Germany [ 101 ] and India [ 102 ] show fluctuating levels of resilience in emerging adulthood during the university stage. This explains the emergence of qualitative and mixed research trying to understand how resilience develops and consolidates itself in adulthood at university [ 103 , 104 ].…”

Sport Community Involvement and Life Satisfaction During COVID-19: A Moderated Mediation of Psychological Capital by Distress and Generation Z

“…Numerous recent studies have focused on individuals’ distress levels in facing a global pandemic (e.g., Ang et al, 2021 ). As a generic term, distress has been linked to mental tension and or strain and is often perceived as a nonspecific bodily response to a stimulus.…”