scholarly journals Is it Just About Physical Health? An Internet -Based Cross-Sectional Study Exploring The Pyschological Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic On University Students in Jordan Using Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala'a B. Al-Tammemi ◽  
Amal Akour ◽  
Laith Alfalah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
University Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

Abstract Background Since the spread of COVID-19 on a global scale, most of efforts at the local, national, and international levels were directed primarily to mitigate the spread of the disease. However, the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on global mental health were not thoroughly investigated yet, and studies that report the mental health risks of COVID-19 are still scarce.Objectives This study aimed to assess the level of psychological distress among university students in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated national measures.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire, The survey comprised of questions about (i) sociodemographic information, (ii) the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), (iii) coping activities , and (iv) the students’ greatest concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results A total of 381 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Female participants slightly predominated the sample (n=199, 52.2%). The respondents aged 18-38 years (mean 22.6 years, SD: 3.16). The total K10 distress scores had a mean of 34.2 (SD:9.4). However, the mean of total K10 distress scores had no significant association with gender (P=0.57). Age was negatively associated with total K10 distress score (P=0.0013). Concerning severity, most of respondents were regarded as having severe psychological distress (n=265, 69.5%), and females were found to have a statistically significant higher percentage in mild and severe psychological distress (P= 0.035), (P=0.016); respectively. 209 students (54.9%) reported that they had no motivation for distance learning. There was a statistically significant inverse relationship between severe psychological distress and motivation for distance learning (P<0.0001). The most common coping strategy among students was spending more time on social media (n=269, 70.6%). Besides, 49 students (12.9%) reported the use of medications to cope with COVID-10 related distress, and 209 students (54.9%) reported distance learning was their most serious concern.Conclusion The COVID-19 control measures resulted in a severe disruption of various human life activities, and this could impact the mental health of individuals, including students. A nationwide psychological support program should be incorporated into Jordan’s response strategy in combating the COVID-19, considering students and other vulnerable groups in Jordan.

scholarly journals Is it Just About Physical Health? An Online Cross-Sectional Study Exploring the Psychological Distress Among University Students in Jordan in the midst of COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala’a B. Al-Tammemi ◽  
Amal Akour ◽  
Laith Alfalah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
University Students ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Distress Scale

AbstractBackgroundSince the spread of COVID-19 on a global scale, most of efforts at national and international levels were directed to mitigate the spread of the disease and its physical harm, paying less attention to the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on global mental health especially at early stages of the pandemic.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess and explore (i) The levels of psychological distress and its correlates (ii) Motivation for distance learning (iii) Coping activities and pandemic related concerns, among university students in Jordan in the midst of COVID-19 pandemicMethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire. The measure of psychological distress was obtained using the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale,while other questions have explored our study’s second and third aims.ResultsA total of 381 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Female participants slightly predominated the sample (n=199, 52.2%). The respondents aged 18-38 years (mean 22.6 years, SD: 3.16). Concerning distress severity, most of respondents were regarded as having severe psychological distress (n=265, 69.5%). 209 students (54.9%) reported that they had no motivation for distance learning. Ordinal logistic regression revealed a significant correlation between distress severity and many predictors. Among the predictors that were found to act as a protective factors against higher levels of distress included older age (aOR=0.64, P=0.022; 95% CI: 0.44 - 0.94), and having a strong motivation for distance learning (aOR=0.10, P=0.048 ; 95% CI: 0.01 - 0.96). In contrary, being a current smoker (aOR=1.99, P=0.049 ; 95% CI: 1.10 - 3.39), and having no motivation for distance learning (aOR=2.49, P=0.007; 95% CI: 1.29 - 4.80) acted as risk factors for having higher levels of psychological distress among the students. The most common coping activity reported was spending more time on social media platforms (n=269, 70.6%), and 209 students (54.9%) reported distance learning was their most distressing concern.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic and related control measures could impact the mental health of individuals, including students. We recommend a nationwide psychological support program to be incorporated into Jordan’s preparedness plan and response strategy in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Is it Just About Physical Health? An Online Cross-Sectional Study Exploring the Psychological Distress Among University Students in Jordan in the midst of COVID-19 Pandemic 

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala'a B. Al-Tammemi ◽  
Amal Akour ◽  
Laith Alfalah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
University Students ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Distress Scale

Abstract Background Since the spread of COVID-19 on a global scale, most of efforts at national and international levels were directed to mitigate the spread of the disease and its physical harm , paying less attention to the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on global mental health especially at early stages of the pandemic. Objectives This study aimed to assess and explore (i) The levels of psychological distress and its correlates (ii) Motivation for distance learning (iii) Coping activities and pandemic related concerns, among university students in Jordan in the midst of COVID-19 pandemicMethods A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire. The measure of psychological distress was obtained using the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, while other questions have explored our study’s second and third aims.Results A total of 381 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Female participants slightly predominated the sample (n=199, 52.2%). The respondents aged 18-38 years (mean 22.6 years, SD: 3.16). Concerning distress severity, most of respondents were regarded as having severe psychological distress (n=265, 69.5%). 209 students (54.9%) reported that they had no motivation for distance learning. Ordinal logistic regression revealed a significant correlation between distress severity and many predictors. Among the predictors that were found to act as a protective factors against higher levels of distress included older age (aOR=0.64, P=0.022; 95% CI: 0.44 - 0.94) , and having a strong motivation for distance learning (aOR=0.10, P=0.048 ; 95% CI: 0.01 - 0.96).In contrary, being a current smoker (aOR=1.99, P=0.049 ; 95% CI: 1.10 - 3.39), and having no motivation for distance learning (aOR=2.49, P=0.007; 95% CI: 1.29 - 4.80) acted as risk factors for having higher levels of psychological distress among the students .The most common coping activity reported was spending more time on social media platforms (n=269, 70.6%), and 209 students (54.9%) reported distance learning was their most distressing concern.Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic and related control measures could impact the mental health of individuals, including students. We recommend a nationwide psychological support program to be incorporated into Jordan’s preparedness plan and response strategy in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Mental health of undergraduate distance learners: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayani P. Gamage ◽  
H.M.Chulani J. Herath
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

PurposeMental health is as important as physical health and new university entrants report high prevalence of depression. In open and distance learning (ODL), students must manage both work and studies. Those who are unable to effectively balance these aspects may experience negative outcomes such as dropping out, distress and physical health problems. Therefore, the study aims to investigate psychological distress amongst distance-learning undergraduate students to gather evidence for recommending necessary interventions.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was conducted using depression, anxiety, stress scale (DASS-21). Participants were undergraduate students from the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). The students' socio-demographic details, history of physical and mental illnesses were also recorded.FindingsAccording to scoring, 51% of the sample was categorised as “psychologically distressed” relating to the anxiety levels they reported whilst depression (35%) and stress remained (20%) at low levels. The three-factor structure of DASS-21 was also confirmed with reliability scores of 0.8 obtained for all three sub-scales.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations were low-response rate (less than 50%) and inability to provide causal explanations for psychological distress. Further research could address these.Practical implicationsThe current research identified anxiety as a psychologically distressing factor for ODL students with the use of a reliable screening tool. Therefore, exploring reasons and interventions to help reduce anxiety could be developed.Social implicationsMajority of distance learners are contributing to a country's economy whilst learning to improve their current socio-economic status. Therefore, addressing these negative impacts is important.Originality/valueThe study explored ODL students' psychological distress and highlighted the need to identify causes and development of support systems to enhance mental well-being.

scholarly journals Stress gradation of medical practitioners during the pandemic (covid-19) along with ways to de-stress; a cross sectional study at tertiary care hospitals using Kessler’s 10 psychological distress scale.

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (09) ◽  
pp. 1239-1244
Author(s):  
Umair Toqueer ◽  
Muhammad Usama Zardad ◽  
Mahwish Toqueer ◽  
Anila Riyaz ◽  
Sana Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospitals ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
The Impact

Objectives: To determine stress grades of doctors working in tertiary care  hospitals by using a standard measuring tool i.e. Kessler 10 psychological distress scale along with finding out different coping methods adopted by doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Tertiary Care Hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Period: 15 March 2020 to 20 June 2020. Material & Methods: A structured questionnaire was sent online to the junior and senior doctors working during the pandemic. The data was automatically collected with the help of Google docs and then analysed using SPSS 26. Results: Of the 219 doctors who completed the questionnaire 142 were males (64.8%) and 77 were females (35.2%). Interestingly, analysis of the score revealed that 38.8% of the doctors were found likely to be well, 16.4% of the doctors were likely to have mild disease and 20.5% were likely to have a moderate disorder while 24.2% were likely to have a severe disorder. Further analysis showed that the mean of  Kessler’s score was greater for junior doctors as  compared to Consultants which was found to be statistically significant (p=0.044). Conclusion: The impact of Corona virus disease (COVID-19) on the stress levels of health workers warrants considerable attention as it was declared a pandemic. Assessing the psychological impact and ways to tackle them will not only help the health care workers during this pandemic but will be beneficial in future pandemics as well.

Psychological Impact on Parents of University Students During COVID-19 Movement Control Order (MCO)

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-156
Author(s):  
Juslina Omar ◽  
Azreen Friddy ◽  
Anne Tasha Serun ◽  
Hemma B. Rayandran ◽  
Julie Reeni Remash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
University Students ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Control Order ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

The Malaysian Government has announced the Movement Control Order (MCO) starting 18th March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. This study attempts to assess the level of psychological distress among parents of university students stranded on campus and out campus during MCO; and to identify the stressors causing psychological distress among parents. It is a cross sectional study using an online self-administered questionnaire done at a public university in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Psychological distress was determined by using Kessler’s Psychological Distress Scale (K10). The study has shown significant associations between parents’ psychological distress with three stressors which consist of worrying about their child’s food supply, child’s future, and child’s mental health.

scholarly journals Reliability and Factor Structure of the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) among Portuguese adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 729-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anabela Pereira ◽  
Carla Andreia Oliveira ◽  
Ana Bártolo ◽  
Sara Monteiro ◽  
Paula Vagos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Portuguese Version ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Distress Scale ◽  
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale

Abstract The 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) has been presented as a valid measure to assess psychological distress levels in population surveys but its dimensional structure was not consensual. Our main objective was to provide a Portuguese version of the K10 exploring the reliability and factor structure of this measure. This cross-sectional study included 694 adults collected from a web-based survey and in training entities. Results showed that 37.9% of the individuals reported significant distress symptoms. A good internal consistency of the K10 scale (α=.91) and strong inter-item correlation (ranges from .350 to .659) were found in our study but the original one-dimensional structure was not confirmed. A two-factor model considering anxiety and depression as two latent, independent but correlated factors shows a good fit with the data even across two data collection methods. The K10 tool was sensitive to sociodemographic variables. Participants aged 40 or over and belonging to the general working class presented higher distress levels. Our data indicates the Portuguese version of K10 as a reliable tool with a factor structure to assess psychological distress.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Factors Associated with Psychological Distress among Older Adults Admitted to Hospitals After Fall Injuries in Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (22) ◽  
pp. 4518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Hoang Nguyen ◽  
Hai Minh Vu ◽  
Giang Thu Vu ◽  
Tung Hoang Tran ◽  
Kiet Tuan Huy Pham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Social Engagements ◽  
Distress Scale

Although psychological distress is one of the major health issues among aging populations, little is known about how this challenge affects older patients after falls. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Thai Binh province, Vietnam, to explore the prevalence of psychological distress and associated factors among 405 older patients after falls. The 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) was used to measure psychological distress. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire. Multivariate Tobit and Logistic regressions were used to determine factors associated with psychological distress. The prevalence of psychological distress among participants was 26.2%. Patients who were alone or older had a higher likelihood of psychological distress. Patients with a history of falls in the past 12 months were more likely to suffer from psychological distress (OR = 2.87, 95%CI = 1.74; 4.72). Having two and three comorbidities was significantly associated with greater K6 scores and a higher risk of psychological distress. This study underlined a significantly high prevalence of psychological distress among older patients after falls. Providing frequent mental health monitoring, screening, treatment, and facilitating social engagements are important implications to improve the mental health of this population.

scholarly journals A cross sectional study to estimate the psychological stress level in medical students during Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-06
Author(s):  
Alia Naaz ◽  
◽  
Mohammad Saad ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Severe Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Question Form ◽  
Distress Scale

Introduction: Stress and anxiety have been a common topic of discussion among the medicalstudents in normal circumstances owing to the burden of immense studies, clinical rotations, regularexams and assessments. Material and methods: A cross sectional study consisting of 330 medicalstudents studying in various medical colleges in various states like Himachal, Karnataka, Haryana,Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi etc. was conducted using online forms that were shared in variousWhatsApp college groups. The questionnaire was a simple 10 question form consisting of theKessler's psychological distress scale questions. The stress levels were defined according to theKessler's psychological distress scale k10. Results: The results of the study showed that 72.5% oftotal participants suffered from mild to moderate levels of stress with 20.6% students suffering frommild stress, 15.5% from moderate stress and significant 36.4% from severe stress. Similarly,various socio-demographic determinants have also been studied for any relation to these high stresslevels. The treatment seeking behaviour among medical students also reflected poorly when it cameto seeking help from health professionals. Conclusion: It was found that during the covid-19lockdown, medical students suffered from severe stress levels which is a topic of concern for theauthorities and calls for a timely intervention to control the situation. The treatment seekingbehaviour is also a topic of concern as medical students being most exposed to the knowledge ofmental health do not themselves prefer to take treatment from a health professional.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document