The Effect of Students' Satisfaction with Online Education on Students' Mental Health

Abstract

Background and Purpose: With the expansion of online education, it is necessary to investigate the effect of students' satisfaction with this type of learning on their mental health. Virtual education can provide ease of access to educational resources, but it may also lead to isolation and psychological pressures. Satisfaction with online learning acts as a key factor in students' mental health, and understanding the relationship between the two can help improve their educational and psychological quality. The present study was conducted in order to determine the effect of students' satisfaction with online education on their mental health.

Method: The descriptive research method was correlation type. The statistical population of the research included all students of the second level of high school in Tehran in the academic year 1402-1403. From the aforementioned statistical population, 250 people were selected by staged cluster sampling method. In order to collect data, the mental health scale (Goldberg, 1979) and students' satisfaction with online education (Zaghiri, 2022) were used. Data analysis was done with Pearson correlation test and multivariate regression with Spss-V25 statistical software.

Findings: The findings showed that 62% of students presented high scores in mental health components (anxiety, depression, social dysfunction and insomnia). Also, the average scores of satisfaction with online learning were evaluated at the average level. Statistical analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between the level of satisfaction with online education and mental health (r=-0.52, p<0.01).

Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of this research indicate that online education, while it can bring benefits such as flexibility and easy access to educational resources, may lead to an increase in psychological problems such as anxiety and depression in students. Accordingly, it is essential that online educational programs are designed and optimized according to the psychological needs of students in order to reduce the negative effects of this type of education. Also, it is suggested that psychological interventions be implemented along with online education in order to maintain the mental health of students in a better way.