Rini Gusya Liza_Universitas Andalas (1) International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education Volume 05 Number 02 2021 ISSN: Print 2620-5750 – Online 2620-5769 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24036/00451za0002 Received October 30th, 2021; Revised November 22th, 2021; Accepted December 7th, 2021 165 http://ppsfip.ppj.unp.ac.id IJRiCE Analysis of perception and emotional condition from distance learning among undergraduate student during Covid-19 pandemic Rini Gusya Liza1, Ulya Uti Fasrini2, Westi Permata Wati3* 1Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia 2Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia 3Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia *Corresponding author, e-mail: westipermatawati@med.unand.ac.id Abstract Education minister changes learning method by distance learning to prevent the spread of Covid-19. This change has an impact on the mentality of students. This research aims to analysis perception and emotional mental health of undergraduate students at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas during the COVID-19 pandemic . This research is cross-sectional study and obtained 344 respondents using simple random sampling from May to December 2020. The distance learning evaluation use questionnaire in google form and the results are quantitative data; the emotional mental health condition use SRQ-20 and Microsoft Excel. This result show that all respondents experienced mental emotional disorders. The most frequently is cognitive symptoms, but some students still enjoy because closed to their family and cost saving although they have some obstacles observed, both in terms of devices, signal, and lack of interaction. All of students have mental health disorder but distance learning has been running well. Keywords: Distance learning, emotional, mental health, covid 19 pandemic How to Cite: Liza, R. G., Fasrini, U.U., & Wati, W.P. (2021). Analysis of perception and emotional condition from distance learning among undergraduate student during Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, 5 (2): pp. 165-175, DOI: https://doi.org/10.24036/00451za0002 This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ©2021 by Author. Introduction WHO declared the corona virus disease 2019 (covid-19) as a global pandemic since March 11, 2020. Many countries established social distancing policies and physical distancing to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (WHO, 2020). Physical distancing aims to protect everyone's physical condition, so this effort has been implemented in all sectors. Enforcement in the education sector dictates changes in learning methods. In line with the circular issued by WHO, Indonesian government applies regulations within the education unit environment in Indonesia by issuing a circular letter by the Ministry of Education and Culture Number 3 of 2020 concerning the Prevention of Covid-19 in Education Units and Number 36926/MPK.A/HK/2020 concerning Online Learning. The circulars confirm that all education levels, from elementary school to university are obliged to conduct its activity online, for example distance learning (Kemendikbud, 2020a, 2020b). Distance learning is a learning system whose indirect interaction or no in one room between teachers and students (Latip, 2020). Aim of distance learning is continue the educational process standards by utilizing Information Technology development in computers or gadgets connected between teachers and students (Ahmad, 2020). Distance learning had developed in America, Germany, England and France in 1800 and is currently being developed into e-learning (Taufik, 2019). There was a series of new correspondence institutions that helped correspondence study flourish In the last decade of the 1800s for example, Skerry’s College in Edinburgh in 1878 and University Correspondence College London in 1887. The university extension movement in the USA and Great Britain promoted the acceptance of correspondence study (Bozkurt, 2019). Distance learning achieved academic recognition in 1892 when the University of Chicago International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Vol 5 No 2 2021 166 (Analysis of Perception and Emotional Condition from Distance Learning Among …) offered the first college-level distance learning program. To submit assignments and lessons, Students were able to learn correspondence study by using the United States Postal Service (Bozkurt, 2019). Distance learning is not actually a new thing, because prior to the pandemic, students have been familiar with e-learning in the learning process. Actually, there are several benefits this methode, including students can be close to their families, students can record lecture material easily, adjust lecture schedules between students and lecturers (Sadeghi, 2019). Research conducted by Paul and Jefersson about comparison student performance between online vs face to face environmental science course from 2009 to 2016. There are 548 students, 401 traditional students and 147 online students, in an environmental science class were used to determine which instructional modality generated better student performance. In addition to the overarching objective, we also examined score variabilities between genders and classifications to determine if teaching modality had a greater impact on specific groups. The result of this research that no significant difference in student performance between online and face-to-face learners overall, with respect to gender, or with respect to class rank were found (Paul & Jefferson, 2019). The problem of education learning in this pandemic COVID 19 was that no other method than distance learning was allowed to be used, from an introduction to the elaboration of a topic, dispersing and collecting assignments, taking quizzes to carrying out laboratory sessions (Fauziyyah & Citra Awinda, 2021). Other than that, public health threats, for their suddenness, uncertainty and harmfulness, bring human insecurity and impact the public emotional behaviour, breaking people’s inner balance. These abrupt changes eventually take a toll on students’ health, both physically and mentally (Bao et al., 2020). One of the studies completed in Kazakhstan among medical students ranging from 1st years to 5th year at Astana Medical University in the 2019 – 2020 academic year. This research conducted during the Tradisional Learning (TL) in October – November 2019 and during the Online Learning (OL) periode in April 2020. The result of this research was during the OL period, the prevalence of colleague-related burnout increased, which tells us about the negative impact of OL on students’ communication and interpersonal relationships.The most common depression and anxiety symptoms, dissatisfaction with academic performance were among students who indicated a decrease in academic performance during OL (Bolatov et al., 2021). Rifa Fauziyyah runs a literature review on 10 national and international journals that discuss the distance learning impacts on students. She finds the articles in those journals reveal that students suffer from an increase in stress and anxiety when undergoing changes in learning methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are three categories of stress experienced, namely mild, moderate, to severe. Consessus of the researches’ results is that the distance learning method is considered that there are some obstacles in its implementation, such as internet network interference and unstable connections (Fauziyyah & Citra Awinda, 2021). The main stressors are financial problems, distance learning, uncertainty regarding academic performance and future career prospects (Sundarasen, 2020). Although distance learning is a solution for continuing education during the COVID-19 pandemic, Akpinar's 2020 research exposes that distance learning increases stress due to less human connections students cannot meet friends and teachers- and technical difficulty in using online platforms worsened by lack of guidance and counseling. The absence of face to face interactions with friends and lecturers is the focal source of increased stress (Akpınar, 2021). A research conducted by Putri RM demonstrates a significant association between the frequency of distance learning classes and students’ stress level (with p value = 0.039). The research is based on the tenet that stress occurs when there is a stressor. Students are faced with a change in habits in a relatively short period of time, face-to-face lectures to online lectures. In a situation like this, it is necessary to adapt to the change of the environment from (Putri et al., 2020). Deliviana E studies various journals publications on students’ mental health; she finds that the pandemic conditions and changes in learning methods are potent to disrupt students' mental health. The most effective way to handle the situation, students need to manage their mental health with internal and external support, such as increasing spirituality, doing healthy physical activities, instilling positive mental attitude, and seeking support from the university and professional assistance when necessary (Deliviana, 2020). Medical students are demanded to excel both in theoretical aspects in addition to other skills which are only optimal if done with face-to-face lectures (Quintiliani et al., 2021). Therefore, a research is needed to be carried out to analyze students’ perceptions of online learning and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University. Method This is a descriptive research with quantitative and cross-sectional approach using questionnaire uploaded to the Google form. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University from Rini Gusya Liza, Ulya Uti Fasrini, Westi Permata Wati 167 International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Open Access Journal: http://ppsfip.ppj.unp.ac.id May to December 2020. The study population is undergraduate students at the Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University class 2017, 2018 and 2019. The simple random sampling used in this research resulted in 344 respondents gathered . The research variables are the results of the evaluation of distance learning during the pandemic and emotional mental health conditions during the pandemic. Subject inclusion criteria: undergraduate students of the Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University class 2017, 2018 and 2019 who are undergoing distance/online learning system and knows how to use google forms. Exclusion criteria: unwilling to participate in the study. The distance learning evaluation data is obtained through questionnaire formulated and the results are quantitative data; the emotional mental health condition is acquired using the Self Reporting Questionnaire- 20 (SRQ 20) and Microsoft Excel are used to process the data. Results and Discussion Characteristics of Respondents Figure 1: Characteristics of Respondents The figure 1 illustrates that more than half respondents are students of the class 2019 (53.2%), followed by class of 2018 (25.3%) and class 2017 contributes the least respondents (21.5%). Analysis of respondents' perceptions on distance learning Distance Learning is supposedly a safe and convenient method to use during COVID-19 pandemic. Ease of interaction is supported by platforms such as Zoom/Skype and others make it easier to communicate. Some respondents think that the discussion might be boring, there are respondents groups who deal with the condition creatively and some not. Most of the respondents admit that they are given unlimited time to discuss any topic of their choosing. There is no problem on the effectiveness of lecturers in managing online classes. Most respondents have no problem with understanding topics presented. It is very interesting that more than half of the respondents did not miss the pre-pandemic face-to-face lectures Things respondents are grateful for during the pandemic The questionnaire uploaded to Google form filled by respondents discloses things respondents are grateful for during this COVID-19 pandemic. In general sense, various answers respondents give may be closed to ‘family’. It ranges from being able to gather with family, quality time with family, being close to family, more time with family, and other variations with the word ‘family’ involved. Other respondents unveil that the things they are grateful for during this pandemic are health, money, flexibility, time-out, rest, cost saving, being able to lie down while studying, and returning home. Few respondents reply that there is nothing to be grateful for during the pandemic. 74 87 183 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 2017 2018 2019 Fr eq ue nc y Class International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Vol 5 No 2 2021 168 (Analysis of Perception and Emotional Condition from Distance Learning Among …) Respondent's opinion about lecturers The role of lecturers in distance learning is very pivotal, as in face-to-face classes, yet requiring different skill set and approach. This study finds that most respondents’ consider the lecturers ‘good’. Some respondents’ think that their lecturers are perfect, comforting, love, simple, cool, high-spirited, ambitious, fun and discipline. Respondents replies on the negative spectrum ranges from monotonous, boring, complicated, not fun, unclear, moody, barbaric, and not effective to evil. Respondents' opinion about the tutor group In addition to the role of the lecturer, relationship between members of respondent groups support the learning process. The cohesiveness of the respondent groups may help them should obstacles in this distance learning arise. Most of respondents consider that their helpful, fun, close with each other/likeminded and good. When any of the member in the group find any material difficult to understand, the respondent will be assisted by group mates. “Willing to help me to understand a lesson that is difficult for me to understand” (VN documentation). Other respondents believe that their group mates are so-so, other competitive with each other. Answers are vary based on personal experience and group dynamics. Respondents opinion about themselves The questionnaire includes questions about students' perceptions of themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents assess themselves and think that currently they feel lazy, stressed, anxious, bland, bored, panic, insecure, clueless, just as usual and flat. Activity restrictions during the pandemic may lead to boredom. "I'm so miserable, I'm so sick of being at home and not seeing friends and not even being able to meet old friends even though we all live in Padang" (RH documentation). Respondents feel they are prevented from meeting friends. Looking from the learning process, some respondents “I feel panicked because MCQ exam is closing in but I am not well-versed yet of all topics presented (SA documentation). Other respondents reacts “I am still looking for learning methods while studying online" (RI documentation). On the other hand, some respondents feel that they are doing well and are even more excited and happy during distance learning during this pandemic. Suggestions and difficulties faced by respondents during the pandemic This study give space for respondents to share their suggestions about distance learning system and difficulties faced during the period. Most of respondents are anxious to face the online block exam. "Please postpone the block exam until we meet face to face" (RSR documentation). Respondents feel that they are not ready to carry out block/MCQ exams remotely. Respondents hope "If the exam is conducted online, please reconsider that the decision will benefit and harm certain parties, thank you" (NA documentation). There are respondents who hope that the exam to be postponed to prevent further stress on students. Several things are identified as possible obstacle in conducting the online exam for respondents, such as unstable internet connections, unreliable laptop quality and power outages in their respective areas. “No network here. It's very hard to find connection. I'm afraid that the online exam won't work for me because of the network problems..... Please pay attention to this, Sir/Ma'am. Not everyone has decent facilities and infrastructure and even an adequate network to carry out online exams." (AA documentation). "Assalamualaikum Sir/Madam, I would like to share my thoughts on the subject. In my opinion the online mcq exam is not a wise choice, because not all students can afford a supporting environment to carry out the exam. I rely on wifi connection which is often problematic lately, lots of distractions at home and what I fear the most is the blackout, especially in my area, the electrical substation is often damaged, ma'am. I think it's better to hold the exam face-to-face, ma'am, it feels more fair to us, ma'am. Hopefully this pandemic shall pass soon, so I can meet mas crush, ma'am :(( ” (VP documentation). “I am worried if we are to have an online exam, Sir/Ma’am. The internet connection in my area is not good. If the light goes out, the network will also die. So that it may lead to opportunity for errors to occur during the exam.” (SWA documentation). The respondent's difficulty in accessing stable internet connection during online classes is greatly influenced by the family's economy. There are respondents who object to buying additional internet quota due to limited budget. According to some respondents, the online learning process eats a large internet data. The COVID-19 pandemic put pressure on the respondent's family economy, especially those whose parents who work in the private sector and self-employed. The condition makes respondents to hope to get internet data allowance to support the learning process. "Financial problems, such as buying data packages for 1-2 weeks." (RH documentation). Rini Gusya Liza, Ulya Uti Fasrini, Westi Permata Wati 169 International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Open Access Journal: http://ppsfip.ppj.unp.ac.id “Connection difficulties when studying online because being in a village and data packages that cost too much.” (AH documentation) "Difficulty in online lectures, mostly in buying internet data and not fully understand the material presented. I also suffer from on and off connection, I miss many parts of the lecturers." (AD). "Hopefully the faculty may assist in internet packages for all students and the exams to be postponed until face-to-face / Connection is unstable in the village, it makes the lectures uncomfortable / it would be problematic to have exams due to unstable signals." (IO documentation). It is difficult to focus on the distance learning process, most respondents are at home and faced with numerous distractions. It may result in decreasing motivation to learn. The source of motivation for each individual is certainly different. "I am really worried should the pandemic is not over until next semester, some even say until 2021, because personally I feel that the desire to learn has decreased and it is also difficult sometimes to understand lectures because the connection problem in the village makes the lectures voice on and off and the slides are skipped. On another note, I fear for what we as a nation will face, hyperinflation and the downfall of the economy.” (Documentation MA). "It's hard to be motivated to study because I usually study with friends/outward motivated." (VM documentation). “I have trouble concentrating and have a hard time understanding the lessons.” (DNU documentation). The long-term effect of the distance learning process make some respondents seriously doubt their prospect to become a competent doctors, because they lack the practical skills and laboratorium sessions. The respondents deem their level of understanding on the material during distance learning is much worse than direct or face-to-face learning. Some respondents complained of difficulties in understanding the lesson after online classes. "Because I don't understand the topics during online classes, I am afraid it will be difficult to catch up in the future." (EMP documentation). "Online lectures make it more difficult for me to understand the material given by lecturers, not to mention the internet connection which is on and off multiple times, I start to feel fed up with the online classes. It frighten me to take the exam because I feel that my ammunition for the exam is not enough." (NFL documentation). "It's difficult to learn this block material with ineffective learning, inadequate practices and inadequate tutorials." (VV documentation). The difficulties faced by each person are different. This depends on the perception of each respondent in assessing a situation. A good coping mechanism is needed in dealing with the situation during the current pandemic. However, few respondents claim that they do not experience any difficulties. "God willing, nothing." (FRN documentation). There are respondents who suggest to make peace with the situation and being optimistic that they can handle this ordeal as long as they try. Univariate analysis of mental health conditions . Figure 2: Respondents’emotional mental disorder proportion 344 0 0 100 200 300 400 Yes No Fr eq u en cy Emotional Mental Disorders International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Vol 5 No 2 2021 170 (Analysis of Perception and Emotional Condition from Distance Learning Among …) Figure 2 confirms that all research respondents (100%) experience emotional mental disorders while facing distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic Table 1. The proportion of symptoms of emotional mental disorders based on the most experienced symptom As seen on figure 3, the emotional mental symptoms most experienced by respondents during COVID-19 are easily tired (52%), not sleeping well (45.6%) and feeling anxious, tense, or worried (43.3%). Emotional Disorders Symptoms Figure 3: Emotional Disorders Symptoms No I t e m n (amount) % (percentage) 1 Do you often have headaches? 112 32.6 2 Do you loose your appetite? 83 24.1 3 Do you sleep well? 157 45.6 4 Do you feel afraid easily? 107 31.1 5 Do your hands tremble? 43 12.5 6 Do you feel anxious, tensed or worried? 149 43.3 7 Do you have digestive complaints? 88 25.6 8 Is it difficult for you to think clearly? 111 32.3 9 Do you feel unhappy? 81 23.5 10 Do you cry more often than usual? 50 14.5 11 Is it difficult for you to enjoy your daily activity? 137 39.8 12 Is it difficult for you to make a decision? 114 33.1 13 Is your daily activity make you feel miserable? 72 20.9 14 Are you unable to play an important role in your life? 63 18.3 15 Do you loose interest in many things? 114 33.1 16 Do you feel useless? 77 22.4 17 Do you have suicidal thoughts? 12 3.5 18 Do you feel tired all the time? 145 42.2 19 Do you feel any inconvenience in your stomach? 75 21.8 20 Do you get tired easily? 179 52 Rini Gusya Liza, Ulya Uti Fasrini, Westi Permata Wati 171 International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Open Access Journal: http://ppsfip.ppj.unp.ac.id The above figure shows that the emotional mental disorder symptom groups most respondent experience are cognitive symptoms (49.10%), followed by somatic symptoms (46.80%), anxiety symptoms (41.30%), depressive symptoms (35.20%) and symptoms of decreased energy (27.60). %). Discussion Perceptions on the application of distance learning Distance learning for students of the Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University has been carried out since the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic. It is a learning method that is considered safe and comfortable for students and lecturers during this pandemic. Another study (Hasanah, 2020) states that 88% of her research subjects prefer the distance learning method during the pandemic. This is in line with research conducted by Ratunuman, David, and Opod (2021) that claims that since the implementation of the online learning system during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a decrease in anxiety symptoms. There are several factors minimizing the anxiety symptoms in students, one of which is living close to parents. In this study, most respondents are grateful that with distance learning they have more time to gather with their families (Ratunuman, 2021). Online learning supported by platforms such as Zoom/Skype make it possible for students to interact during the pandemic. Although most students find it convenient to communicate online, lack of other choices of communication may end quickly in boredom. This is in accordance with research which states that boredom is one of the things students feel besides having online classes, others complaint online lectures makes explanations things more complicated/hard to understand; on a positive note, students say that online learning is more relaxed (Fitriyana et al., 2021). Students feel bored because they stay at home most of the time, not meeting friends and monotonous lecture activities. The research conducted confirms distance learning causes students to feel bored because they have to stare at a computer screen for too long. Boredom shows the initial stage of feeling fed up, which will lead to the difficulty of concentrating while studying to the decrease of learning motivation (de Souza et al., 2020). In order to bear the risk of getting bored of distance learning routine, a coping mechanism is needed to deal with it. Some respondents and their group mates have creative ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study agrees with the result of other studies conducted by Son et al (2020) that to overcome boredom and other mental health problems, some students actively seeking the support of others such as families and study group members by communicating through platforms such as Zoom to share stories even to the point of needing mobile mental health services provided by the university. Coping mechanisms carried out by students in dealing with these problems have been studied previously by Son et al (2020). In their study, negative and positive coping mechanisms are identified. Most coping mechanism used is self-management (Son et al., 2020). During the distance learning period, students spend time hanging out with friends. Subject to provision of reliable supporting platform, most students reserves the benefit of unlimited time to discuss any topic. Discussions related to subject matter and things unrelated to the lesson are allowed to inject variety and overcome boredom. However, students whose need to socialize is essential for their wellbeing will feel virtual communication is far from enough. Research by Fitriyana, Respati, and Sartika explains that students need to socialize, virtual interaction only is not enough. The limited interaction is not easy for people whose wellbeing depends on activities involving direct interaction to give each other attention, empathy and work together to achieve a goal (Fitriyana et al., 2021). Our study finds students’ interaction with lecturers go well during online learning. The effectiveness of lecturers in managing online classes is not a problem for students. The opposite outcome on the same topic found by Son et al, in his on undergraduate students in the United States that the lack of direct support from lecturers or teaching assistants cause more than half of research respondents to experience an increase in academic burden (Son et al., 2020). The academic load increase requires students to put more efforts to catch up with material and assignments given and distributed during online learning. The condition directly influences the students' understanding or output of learning topics in the current block. In this study, respondents do not have problem in understanding topics in the current block. A research conducted by Sundarasen, et al, states that the results of distance learning create uncertainty about the students’ future caused by the difficulty of adapting to new learning methods. Such is a stressor that plays a major impact on the students’ mental and emotional health (Sundarasen et al., 2020). International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Vol 5 No 2 2021 172 (Analysis of Perception and Emotional Condition from Distance Learning Among …) The decision to apply the distance learning method during the pandemic is the right choice, considering health; this choice in turn allows students to have more time to gather with family. This is something that most respondents are grateful for. A research carried out by Sundarasen, et al finds that students who live alone and away from their families reserve higher potential for mental health disorders than students who live with their families. Due to the fact that they live alone, far from their loved ones, this is a threat to their mental health during the pandemic and poses challenges from various aspects of life (Sundarasen et al., 2020). Not only mental health, but physical health is also a concern for students during this pandemic. Research completed by Yang, Chen, Chen in China, indicates that there are three stressors for students during the COVID-19 pandemic; one is was the fear of contracting COVID-19. Even though ample precautions have been taken, this does not guarantee someone being immune to the virus. This fear can cause stress and other mental health problems to college students (Yang et al., 2021). Most respondents we meet in this study admits to feel tired and bored during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to monotonous activities and physical distancing. Students feel bored because they are stuck at home. It is similar to the result Fitriyana, Respati, and Sartika find in their research; which declares that being away from friends, limited communication, and physical distanced are situations that are not commonly encountered. The only choice is to adapt to the existing situation (Fitriyana et al., 2021). Sundarasen, et al arranges a research on undergraduate students in Malaysia, his team affirms that activity restrictions is one of the factors that greatly affect students' mental health. Even though social media provides easy access to information and serves as alternative to physical social activity, the “always active” aspect of social media may exhaust anyone and have an impact on students' mental health. On the other hand, few students who are the subject of this study feel fine and enthusiastic about undergoing distance learning (Sundarasen et al., 2020) In undergoing online lectures, a stable internet connection is needed for smooth lectures. The instability of the internet connection causes most students to experience difficulties during distance lectures. This is also one of the things that most students complain about. Students who live far from urban areas face difficulty in getting a stable internet connection. Not only that, students that come from middle to lower class economy object to buying large internet data. Most students wishes to be assisted in procuring the internet services. This is major factor in the occurrence of students' emotional mental disorders during lectures and block exams. They are concerned to do online exam as the risk of internet connection instability may cost them the exam, the laptop or computer may turn off involuntarily and the threat of power outage anytime. Some respondents hope that the examination will be postponed until it can be done face-to-face. Various problems faced by students during the implementation of distance learning require good coping mechanisms so as not to interfere with their mental health. Some students in this study are optimistic that these problems can be overcome. Mental health condition Based on the results of this research, it was found that all research respondents experienced emotional mental disorders (100%) during lectures in the COVID-19 pandemic era. It is comparable with research by Perissoto et al conducted in Brazil, it finds that more than half (54.8%) of medical students experience mental health disorders (Perissotto et al., 2021). Ratunuman, David, and Opod in their research come to a conclusion that the COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on students' psychology (Ratunuman, 2021). The students' mental health problems found in the study are anxiety, depression, stress and post-traumatic stress syndrome. In this study, data showed that the level of anxiety in medical students is lower might be related to the fact that they are familiar with the COVID-19 virus. Research conducted on undergraduate students at a university in Thailand by Choompunuch et al claim that online learning conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused students to experience high stress. The research is conducted not only on medical students, but also undergraduate students from other departments (Choompunuch et al., 2021). Symptoms of emotional mental disorders that are most experienced by medical students during distance learning in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic are getting tired easily (52%), not sleeping well (45.6%) and feeling anxious or worried (43.3%). Another research to confirm the results of this research is one by Vala, Vachhani, and Sorani (2020) on medical students in India; they discover that there are symptoms of anxiety (17.2%), stress (10.8%) and depression (15.6%) among respondents. Rini Gusya Liza, Ulya Uti Fasrini, Westi Permata Wati 173 International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, Open Access Journal: http://ppsfip.ppj.unp.ac.id Despite the fact that lectures are mostly conducted from the comfort of everyone’s home, medical students experience mental and emotional health disorders. Perissoto et al run a research on medical students in Brazil and find that anxiety and depression as measured by the SRQ-20 questionnaire become high mental burden (Perissotto et al., 2021). First year students struggle with higher mental burden than their seniors. Research conducted by Son et al on undergraduate students in the United States learns that 71% of undergraduate students concede an increase in stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 20% of respondents claim to have similar experience than pre-pandemic and 9% say their stress level decreased (Son et al., 2020). Of the respondents of the study experiencing emotional mental disorders, 5% of them have consulted to mental health counseling services. The most frequent symptoms emotional disorders observed on medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic is cognitive symptoms (49.10%). The cognitive symptoms include difficulty in thinking clearly, difficulty in making decisions and disruption of daily work. The same conclusions are derived by Son et al in their research; they state that 89% of undergraduate students in the United States have difficulty concentrating on academic work (Son et al., 2020). Most of the respondents in the study complained that it was difficult to study at home because there are many distrctions await at home; being talked to, asked to by family members and expectation to contribute on doing the housechores. In addition to that, sedentary lifestyle that is too often too focused on computer screens and smartphones for some people can affect concentration on academic work. Research conducted in Colombia by Beltran, Martinez, Rodriguez, and Valderrama, conclude that the emotional mental disorders experienced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic are directly interrelated to the final result obtained by students and the student's study period (Beltrán et al., 2020). Conclusion Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, distance learning methods are needed for learning process for medical student. Overall, the perception of students are distance learning method is safe and comfortable to use during the COVID-19 pandemic, supported by platforms such as Zoom/Skype that make it convenient for students to communicate and interact . Although this learning method may easily lead to boredom, some students overcome the situation in various ways. The effectiveness of tutor lecturers in managing online classes and learning outcomes is not a problem for most students , but student difficulties during the distance learning is related to internet connections and one of the obstacles most students complain about, as well as anxiety to face exams, especially if it is to be done online as internet disturbances may cost them the exam. Not only that, the socio-economic aspects pose as major obstacles felt by students in undergoing the distance learning. This study find that all research respondents experienced somewhat mental emotional disorders. The most frequent symptoms emotional disorders observed on medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic is cognitive symptoms. The most frequent symptoms of emotional mental disorders experienced by students during distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic are getting tired easily, not sleeping well and feeling anxious, tense or worried. 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