Pakistani Students Studying Abroad During Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown – A Qualitative Exploration of Psychosocial Challenges and Coping Strategies

Abstract

In the recent decades, the number of internationally mobile Pakistani students has increased, and international students have been identified as a population vulnerable to psychosocial stressors. The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic and its subsequent lockdown led to an addition of stressors to the already vulnerable population of international students. The focus of this study is to understand the perceived psychosocial pressures of Pakistani students studying abroad during covid 19 pandemic lockdown and the ways in which these challenges were managed or coped with, during this global health crisis. The research participants were Pakistani students residing in 10 different host countries during the pandemic lockdown, including 7 males, 3 females between ages 18-28 years. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews during the peak of pandemic between March 2020 to December 2020. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to examine the interview transcripts and identify themes. Two major themes emerged addressing the two research questions. One theme was formed from additional information gathered that was significant enough to warrant a separate theme of its own. The findings have implications for policies of international students in both home and host countries.