Helplessness among University Students: An Empirical Study Based on a Modified Framework of Implicit Personality Theories

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and within a very short period of time, teaching in the 2020 summer term changed from predominantly on-site to online instruction. Students suddenly faced having to adapt their learning process to new demands for which they may have had both insufficient digital skills and a lack of learning resources. Such a situation carries the risk that a substantial number of students become helpless. The aim of our empirical study was to test a hybrid framework of helplessness that includes both objective causes of helplessness and students’ subjective interpretations of them. Before lectures or courses began, students of a full-scale university were invited to participate in an online survey. The final sample consists of 1690 students. Results indicate that objective factors as well as their subjective interpretations contributed to the formation of helplessness.

Mental Health in the Time of Coronavirus Disease 2019

“…As is the case with exposure to stress and isolation, learned helplessness activates the HPA response which releases J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and reduced activity in a variety of monoaminergic systems. 61,69 Lockdowns and quarantines initially increase anxiety and then give way to a sense of learned helplessness as people feel powerless to control their environment, 70,71,72 The lack of control over exposure to the virus, and the undependability of personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, testing, ventilators, and work schedules have left many healthcare professionals feeling burned out. 5,6 Most businesses made a successful transition to remote work, but many did not, while unemployment reached historic highs.…”