Psychological Impact and Coping during Political Crisis in Bangladesh

Background/Objective: Students of Bangladesh started protesting reinstatement of the controversial quota system in jobs. This protest converted into a political crisis as violence was shown toward protestors. The objective of this research was to identify psychological impact in the form of (i) thought patterns, (ii) emotional reactions, (iii) behaviors, (iv) physical reactions, and (v) coping behaviors of Bangladeshi population during political crisis. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey design was implemented to conduct the study. An anonymous self-reported e-questionnaire using the Google form was circulated through social media and E-mail from August 25 to September 5, 2024. Descriptive data analysis of 340 Bangladeshi adult participants was conducted. Results: Results of this study uncovered negative thoughts (wondering about the existence of self, family and nation; worrying; thoughts of not doing anything effective; and self-blaming), heightened emotional reactions (restless; fearful or panicked; anger or agitation; helpless; frustration; feeling of mental conflict; suffocated feeling; and guilt feeling), problematic behaviors (excessive news watching and social media use; political discussions with family and friends; difficulty concentrating; sleep disturbance; and both excessive and lack of eating), detrimental physical reactions (headache; palpitation; fatigue; neck pain; and high or low blood pressure) among Bangladeshi population during political crisis. Adapting coping behaviors such as spending time with close ones, thinking positively, and sleeping adequately along with other coping behaviors were found as well. Conclusions: Results of this study identified the need for community-based investigations and interventions amid this crisis. Moreover, mental health support in any future crisis event is also recommended.