scholarly journals Prevalence of anxiety and depression during COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare students in Jordan and its effect on their learning process: A national survey

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249716
Author(s):  
Iman A. Basheti ◽  
Qassim N. Mhaidat ◽  
Hala N. Mhaidat

Rational During pandemics, including the most recent COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of university healthcare students’ is expected to be affected negatively, impacting the students’ learning process. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the level of anxiety and depression of healthcare students living in Jordan, and the effect on their learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey completed by students studying a healthcare-oriented degree in a university in Jordan. Participants were recruited through social media (Facebook and WhatsApp). The validated previously published Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire was used as a part of the online survey to assess students’ anxiety/depression scores. Students’ responses regarding their learning process during the COVID-19 was also assessed. Results The mean age of participants was 21.62 (SD = 4.90), with the majority being females (67.1%). The HADs’ assessment revealed that 43.8% and 40.0% of participants had normal anxiety and depression scores, while 22.4% showed borderline abnormal anxiety/depression scores (33.8%). Many students (33.8%) were classified to have abnormal anxiety scores, while a smaller proportion (26.2%) was classified to have abnormal depression scores. Smoking (p = 0.022), lower family income (p = 0.039), and use of medications (p = 0.032) were positively associated with higher (worse) anxiety scores. Ranking the learning process during COVID-19 showed that 45.8% of the participants believed it was a ‘good/very good/excellent’ process. Conclusions Anxiety and depression levels amongst university healthcare students in Jordan were found to be high when assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the learning process during the pandemic was not accepted by more than half of the students. Implementing psychological interventions for healthcare students during pandemics is strongly recommended in order to optimize students’ mental health and their learning process alike.

Author(s):  
Farhat Jan ◽  
Muhammad Azeem Qureshi ◽  
Dr. Malik Mureed Hussain

Psychological pressures leading towards instability of psychological states like anxiety, stress, fear and depression. The main objectives of present study were to explore the existence of anxiety, depression and fear among public. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 15th April to 4th May, 2020. Three research instruments including Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used. 530 valid questionnaires were received in response to online survey. The results showed that 518 (97.7%) of individuals have fear. The results indicated that those 403 (76.0%) respondents were non-anxious and 127 (46.0%) people were anxious. Depression and non-depression rate was 55.5% and 45.5% respectively. It was revealed that anxiety, depression and fear have significant positive correlation. It was also found that females faced more anxiety, fear and depression than males. Results indicated that following precaution against coronavirus reduces anxiety, depression and fear. Students were found to have higher mean scores on FCS, SAS and SDS as compare to working and unemployed individuals. Compared to students of intermediate, graduation and post-graduation, Undergraduates had higher mean scores which show more fear, anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is requirement due to outbreak of COVID-19 to facilitate psychological state of general public. Keywords: COVID-19, Anxiety, Depression, Fear, Correlation


2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy Osagiator Ariyo ◽  
Ebenezer Olutope Akinnawo ◽  
Bede Chinonye Akpunne ◽  
Daniel Oluwasanmi Kumuyi ◽  
Deborah Foluke Onisile

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are the frontline of coping COVID-19 pandemic, which indicates the importance of improving their mental wellness to better cope with the situation. Objectives: The current study aimed to firstly assess the severity of anxiety and depression and perceived vulnerability to diseases, and secondly to investigate their association with the fear of COVID-19 among Nigerian HCWs. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, a purposefully selected sample of 413 HCWs from two tertiary healthcare institutions in Benin City, Edo State, South-South Nigeria, responded to the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale. Data was collected between October 2020 and February 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize socio-demographic variables, while inferential statistics (t-test for independent samples, one-way ANOVA, and linear regression) were used to test hypotheses. Results: A high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and perceived vulnerability to diseases (PVD) was observed. Perceived infectability (β = 0.244, P = 0.000), germ aversion (β = 0.166, P = 0.000), and composite PVD (β = 0.96, P = 0.000) were identified as independent and significant predictors of fear of COVID-19, accounting for 7.5; 3.3, and 9.9% variance in the severities of Fear of COVID-19, respectively. Anxiety and depression showed a significant joint prediction of Fear of COVID-19 severity, accounting for a 4.0% variance in the severity. Fear of COVID-19 was not found to be influenced by sex or job type differences among the HCWs. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a high incidence of anxiety, depression, and perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 among Nigerian HCWs. These reported symptoms of psychopathology are also strong independent and joint predictors of fear of COVID-19.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saman Maroufizadeh ◽  
Majid Pourshaikhian ◽  
Ali Pourramzani ◽  
Farzaneh Sheikholeslami ◽  
Mohammad Taghi Moghadamnia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency and may result in psychological problems such as anxiety and depression in general population. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their associated factors in general population of Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: We conducted this web-based cross-sectional study on 5328 individuals in Iran, between 17 and 29 April 2020. Data were collected through an anonymous online questionnaire via social media like WhatsApp and Telegram. The online survey collected information on demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related variables, and anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine independent predictors of anxiety and depression.Results: The mean GAD-7 and PHQ-9 total scores were 7.17 (SD=5.42) and 7.80 (SD=6.68), respectively. The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and comorbid anxiety-depression were 30.1%, 33.4%, and 22.1%, respectively. According to the adjusted analysis, anxiety was significantly associated with being female, being young and middle-aged, being unemployed or housewife, having chronic diseases, long time thinking about COVID-19, having family members, friends, and/or relatives infected with COVI-19, and death of family members, relatives or friends due to COVID-19. Same results were also found for depression. Furthermore, depression was associated with being single, being resident in urban area, and having high risk individual in family. Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety and depression were considerably high in general population of Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the findings suggest that more attention needs to be paid to vulnerable groups such as women, young/middle-aged adults, unemployed people, people with chronic disease. Thus, a holistic approach, including management policies, psychosocial interventions, training, support, and tele-mental health, is absolutely crucial to reduce mental health problems of the COVID-19 and any outbreaks of other infectious diseases.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca T. Villalobos ◽  
Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez

The current study documented levels of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and COVID-19 fears and impacts among Latinxs in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants of this cross-sectional study were 388 Latinx adults who completed an online survey between June and November 2020. Almost half of participants showed clinical levels of anxiety and depression and more than a quarter of participants showed clinical levels of posttraumatic stress. Latinxs reported on average 22 types of negative pandemic life impacts. Group differences based on gender, educational attainment, income, vulnerability to COVID-19, and essential worker status were found for mental health symptoms. Severity of COVID-19 fears and negative life impact counts were related to gender, nativity, educational attainment, vulnerability to COVID-19, and insurance status. Specific Latinx groups experienced greater levels of psychological distress during the pandemic. Further examination of risk and protective factors is needed for communities of color.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e044617
Author(s):  
Constanza Jacques-Aviñó ◽  
Tomàs López-Jiménez ◽  
Laura Medina-Perucha ◽  
Jeroen de Bont ◽  
Alessandra Queiroga Gonçalves ◽  
...  

ObjectiveLockdown has impacts on people’s living conditions and mental health. The study aims to assess the relations between social impact and mental health among adults living in Spain during COVID-19 lockdown measures, taking a gender-based approach into account.Design, setting and participantsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among adults living in Spain during the lockdown of COVID-19 with an online survey from 8 April to 28 May 2020. The main variable was mental health measured by Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale for anxiety and the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression. Sex-stratified multivariate ordinal logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association between social impact variables, anxiety and depression.ResultsA total of 7053 people completed this survey. A total of 31.2% of women and 17.7% of men reported anxiety. Depression levels were reported in 28.5% of women and 16.7% of men. A higher proportion of anxiety and depression levels was found in the younger population (18–35 years), especially in women. Poorer mental health was mainly related to fear of COVID-19 infection, with higher anxiety levels especially in women (adjusted ordinal OR (aOR): 4.23, 95% CI 3.68 to 4.87) and worsened economy with higher levels of depression in women (aOR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.84), and perceived inadequate housing to cope with lockdown was especially associated with anxiety in men (aOR: 2.53, 95% CI 1.93 to 3.44).ConclusionThe social impact of the lockdown is related to gender, age and socioeconomic conditions. Women and young people had worse mental health outcomes during lockdown. It is urgent to establish strategies for public health emergencies that include mental health and its determinants, taking a gender-based approach into account, in order to reduce health inequities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
Vikrant Prabhakar ◽  
Amrit Virk ◽  
Parmal Saini

Background: Depression is commonly reported by university students due to change in environment, academic demands, developing new relations and more financial freedom. If that professional course happens to be medical education, the transition is even more drastic. Studies have also shown that Quality of Life (QOL) is negatively affected by the presence of anxiety and depression. Aim: Present study aims to find the prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress among students who have recently joined medical college. Materials & Method: This cross-sectional study was undertaken at Private medical college in north India. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) was used for the data collection. MBBS students who have joined the institution in August 2019 were included in the study. Statistical Analysis Used: Data was entered in excel and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 21. Result: We found that almost half of the students who participated in the study had scores above 10 (meaning thereby depressed) on the depression scale, with 23.5% of respondents showing moderate or severe depression. Two-third students experienced anxiety, with 20% students having severe to very severe anxiety. Stress levels amongst the students were also high, with 47% of the students reporting stress. 3.4% students experienced severe or very severe stress. Conclusion: Medical students have high prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression. It is recommended that medical colleges should implement appropriate and timely measures to address students’ well-being and offer comprehensive intervention and preventive programs to help students cope with this transition phase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko Galić ◽  
Luka Mustapić ◽  
Ana Šimunić ◽  
Leon Sić ◽  
Sabrina Cipolletta

Background and Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to radical and unexpected changes in everyday life, and it is plausible that people’s psychophysical health has been affected. This study examined the relationship between COVID-19 related knowledge and mental health in a Croatian sample of participants.MethodsAn online survey was conducted from March 18 until March 23, 2020, and a total of 1244 participant responses were collected (85.5% were women and 58.4% completed secondary education). Measures included eight questions regarding biological features of the virus, symptoms, and prevention, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Optimism-Pessimism Scale. According to the answers given on the questions on COVID-19 related knowledge, participants were divided in two groups: (1) informed and (2) uninformed on each question. They were then compared in the expressed levels of anxiety, depression, pessimism, and optimism. Full vs. partial mediation models with optimism/pessimism as a mediator in the relationship between anxiety/depression and the accuracy of responses for questions about handwashing and ways of transmission were estimated.ResultsParticipants who responded correctly on the question about handwashing had higher levels of anxiety, depression, and pessimism than those participants whose answer was incorrect, while participants who answered correctly on the question about the percentage of patients who develop serious breathing problems had higher levels of depression than those who answered incorrectly. Lower levels of anxiety and pessimism were observed in the participants who answered correctly about ways of transmission. Higher levels of pessimism were found in participants who scored incorrectly on questions about the efficiency of antibiotics, most common symptoms, and the possibility of being infected by asymptomatic carriers. Higher levels of knowledge about handwashing were predicted by higher levels of anxiety and pessimism. Higher levels of knowledge about ways of transmission were predicted by lower levels of anxiety and lower levels of pessimism. The examined relationships between anxiety/depression and knowledge were mediated by pessimism.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that knowledge about COVID-19 may be useful to reduce anxiety and depression, but it must be directed to the promotion of health behaviors and to the recognition of fake news.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-8
Author(s):  
Lucky A. Bawazier ◽  
Ignatius Stanley ◽  
Wicensius Sianipar ◽  
Suhardjono Suhardjono

Background: In Indonesia, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is primarily managed by hemodialysis (HD) because limited resources rule out the possibility of renal transplantation. HD patients are commonly accompanied by caregivers. However, most studies have neglected the health of caregivers, who play an important role in the survival of HD patients. This study aimed to determine the proportion of caregivers who suffer from anxiety and depression and the factors involved.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 100 caregivers in the HD unit of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta. This study used the hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS) to determine the extent of anxiety and depression among caregivers. All caregivers were asked to fill out the questionnaire without assistance.Results: A total of 28% and 18% of caregivers were found to be anxious and depressed respectively. The caregiver’s relationship with the patient, whether the caregiver was being paid or unpaid, the total duration of care, and income were not associated with levels of anxiety and depression. However, the proportion of each 24-hour period spent on care was significantly associated with anxiety (p=0.037) and depression (p=0.015). The time spent on care every 24 hours was also a significant predictor of anxiety (p=<0.001) and depression (p=0.021).Conclusion: One-third of caregivers were found to be anxious and/or depressed. The time spent on care every 24 hours was a strong predictor of both anxiety and depression.


Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Gerogianni ◽  
Maria Polikandrioti ◽  
Fotoula Babatsikou ◽  
Sofia Zyga ◽  
Victoria Alikari ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: Anxiety–depression of patients undergoing hemodialysis has a strong relation with the levels of anxiety–depression of their caregivers. The aim of this study was to evaluate anxiety–depression of dialysis patients and their caregivers. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 414 pairs of patients and caregivers from 24 hemodialysis centers of Greece completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The statistical analysis of the data was performed through the Statistical Program SPSS version 20.0. The statistical significance level was set up at 5%. Results: The mean age of patients was 64 (54.06–72.41) years old and the mean duration of hemodialysis was 36 (16–72) months. The mean age of caregivers was 54 (44–66) years old. Of the total sample, 17.1% (n = 71) of patients had high levels of anxiety and 12.3% (n = 51) had high levels of depression. Additionally, 27.8% (n = 115) of caregivers had high levels of anxiety and 11.4% (n = 47) had high levels of depression. Caregivers had higher levels of anxiety when their patients had high levels of anxiety as well (42.3%). Additionally, they had higher levels of depression when their patients had high levels of depression as well (17.6%). Conclusions: The results of this study showed a significant association between the levels of anxiety and depression among patients and caregivers. There is a necessity for individualized assessment of dialysis patients and their caregivers and the implementation of specific interventions for reducing the levels of anxiety and depression among them.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 779-786
Author(s):  
Nihmath Nisha S ◽  
Yuvaraj Maria Francis ◽  
Balaji K ◽  
Gunapriya Raghunath ◽  
Kumaresan M

The COVID-19 pandemic is being a global Heath crisis. The rate of transmission of the disease is very high. At this time there is no specific vaccine or treatment. This widespread outbreak is also associated with psychological distress like depression and anxiety. The effect of COVID 19 on medical students is considerable. The medical students are in a transitory period which could be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. The aim of this study is to assess the mental health of South Indian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic and to see if there is any influence of gender on mental health. A cross sectional study was conducted using convenient sampling method. A total of 359 responses were analysed. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed based on four point Likert scale. GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7) scale and CES-D (Center for Epidemiology Studies for Depression) scale is used to assess anxiety and depression symptoms with a small modification respectively. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistics version 25. Out of 359 participants 50.4% of participants were male and 49.6% of them were females; majority of them (95.3%) were between the age group of 18-21. In total 75.5% and 74.6% of participants showed varying levels of anxiety and depression symptoms respectively. Anxiety and depression symptoms are found to have a mild association with gender. Symptoms are slightly higher among females than males.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document