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Abstract
Purpose
The infectious pandemics are generally accompanied by an often-overlooked impact it has on the psychology of the masses. Healthcare students and workers are expected to develop significant levels of stress as compared to the general population. The significance of this study is to assess the depression, anxiety and stress faced by the healthcare students that may lead to unfavourable effects on learning and their overall psychological health.
Methods
This assessment was done by means of an anonymous, online, closed-ended questionnaire. DASS-21 scale was the primary instrument used for this purpose. The responses were recorded on a 4-point Likert scale.
Results
The study had more male students, majority were between 21 and 23 years of age, asymptomatic and almost equal proportion of students from the fraternity of dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and nursing. Dental and pharmacy students were associated with lower stress than medical students whereas nursing students experienced higher anxiety as compared to medical students. Close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases experienced higher stress and anxiety. Daily patient exposure was associated with significantly higher stress anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
Based on the observations of the present study, a support program for psychological training for these health care students should be introduced.
Abbreviations
DASS-21, modified short-term Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21; COVID-19, coronavirus disease-19; PPE, personal protective equipment; IRB, institutional review board; SD, standard deviation; FCV-19S, Fear of COIVD-19 Scale; HCWs, healthcare workers; B, beta; R2, R-squared; AR2, adjusted R-squared; CI, confidence interval.
Acknowledgments
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through Research Group Project under grant number (GRP-134/1442).
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.