THE EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH AND RELATED FACTORS: A WEB-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY HEALTH STUDENT IN THE PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (20) ◽  
pp. 723-737
Author(s):  
Ayfer BAYINDIR ÇEVİK ◽  
Elçin Sebahat KASAPOĞLU
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
University Students ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Previous Diagnosis ◽  
Level Of Knowledge

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and anxiety of university students about the Covid-19 epidemic at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: The study is a cross-sectional study. The sample consists of 1243 health students. The data were collected through an online questionnaire consisting of three parts. The questionnaire included questions to assess the socio-demographic characteristics of students, their level of knowledge, awareness and behavior about the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact of the epidemic on their psychological health. The GAD-7 scale was used to assess students' anxiety levels. Results: In this study; 79.60% of the Health Care Students (HCSs) did not attend any training on COVID-19. Their sources of information were internet/social media (97.18%) and TV (97.18%). In the COVID-19 knowledge assessment test, it was found that 65.7% of them had a high level of knowledge. Most of HCSs thought that their knowledge about COVID-19 was very good (55%). The correct answer means of the 31 questions on the COVID-19 knowledge questionnaire were 22.07±1.70. In this questionnaire, it stated that the most effective methods of protection were the use of a mask in crowded environments (99.1%). Most of the HCSs stated that outbreak was affected their mental health negatively (73.1%) and some of them named this state as "Coronaphobia" (33.2%). In this study was found that some HCSs have a generalized anxiety disorder (22.6%) and anxiety experienced due to COVID "completely affected" their lives (19.5%). The average knowledge score of the students who received applied training in the hospital at the beginning of the pandemic (22.29±1.58) and anxiety level of students (6.77±5.85) was higher than those who did not receive applied training in the hospital (5.84±5.47, p<0.05). The GAD-7 scores for those with a previous diagnosis of psychological disease were 2 times higher than those without a previous diagnosis (p<0.05)Conclusion: At the beginning of the pandemic, students who received hands-on training at the hospital had higher knowledge and awareness levels. Generalized Anxiety Disorder was observed more frequently in those with a previous psychological disorder than in other students. Keywords: Anxiety; coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19); knowledge; health students; pandemic and mental health

scholarly journals Validation of generalized anxiety disorder-2 as a screening tool for generalized anxiety disorder in the primary health care setting: study protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Mohammad J. M. A. Tamimi ◽  
Anna R. Sharif ◽  
Saad T. Sedeeq ◽  
Ehab Hamed
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Primary Health

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Anxiety screening in primary care is crucial for the identification and management of the condition. The generalized anxiety disorder-2 (GAD-2) is an abridged version of the tool composed of the first two questions of the GAD-7 for screening for anxiety in the general adult population in primary care settings. Patients who score more than 3 points are further evaluated for anxiety. Although there is a growing body of literature documenting the psychometric properties of the GAD-2 against a structured interview and the GAD-7, no earlier studies have assessed the performance of the GAD-2 in Qatar. This cross-sectional study primarily aims to examine the sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of GAD-2 scores for detecting anxiety among patients attending PHCC in Qatar.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> The study will employ a periodic cross-sectional study of electronic medical record data of adult patients attending the primary health care settings between January of 2017 and December of 2019. The study population will include all adult population with documented GAD-7 scores. We will exclude all patients with other mental health diagnoses, including mental disability, schizophrenia, and dementia.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>GAD-2 questionnaire forms an easy to administer screening tool. The cut-off value in various international settings is set at a score of equal to or more than 3. The study will report on the diagnostic properties of GAD-2 scores against the documented diagnosis of anxiety by health care professionals. The result helps to tailor the cut-off value to its local settings.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Trial Registration:</strong> Trial registration number is PHCCDCR202003019.</p>

Psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale in Ethiopian university students

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-427
Author(s):  
Md. Dilshad Manzar ◽  
Mohammed Salahuddin ◽  
Ahmad Alghadir ◽  
Shahnawaz Anwer ◽  
Sony Peter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
University Students ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Psychometric Measures ◽  
Gender Groups

The prevalence of anxiety and its associated factors in Ethiopians necessitates availability of a valid questionnaire tool to screen for this disorder. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the factor structure, its stability, and psychometric measures of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale GAD-7) in Ethiopian university students. A cross-sectional study with random sampling was carried out in students (n = 354, age = 21.79 ± 4.49) attending Mizan-Tepi University, Ethiopia. The GAD-7, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a sociodemographic questionnaire were completed by participants. The unidimensional model of the GAD-7 showed configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance among gender groups. The Cronbach's alpha (0.77), item-total score correlations (r = .51—.72, p < .01), and inter-item correlations (all significant, p < .05) indicated adequate internal consistency. GAD-7 scale scores correlated significantly with the PSS, suggesting desired convergent validity. The GAD-7 has good psychometric validity with Ethiopian university students.

scholarly journals Changes in mental health during three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study among polish university students

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra M. Rogowska ◽  
Dominika Ochnik ◽  
Cezary Kuśnierz ◽  
Karolina Chilicka ◽  
Monika Jakubiak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
University Students ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Research indicates that mental health worsened during the Coronavirus crisis, in particular among women and university students. However, few longitudinal studies have so far investigated the changes in mental health outcomes across three subsequent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to examine changes in mental health among university students. Methods A total of 1,961university students from Poland, at mean age 23.23 years (SD = 3.16, 57.47% of women) were included in this repeated cross-sectional study across three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: W1 (n = 657), W2 (n = 654), and W3 (n = 650). They completed the online survey with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), General Self-Rated Health (GSRH), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), as well as sociodemographic variables. Results The prevalence of people at high risk of anxiety and perceived stress, poorer physical health, and low life satisfaction changed significantly across three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the two-way ANOVA showed that both the wave (W1<W2<W3) and gender (men<women) had a significant impact on the level of anxiety. Statistically significant changes in perceived stress were found between pandemic waves (W1>W2, W1>W3), and genders (men<women). Self-reported physical health significantly deteriorated in W3 compared to W1 and W2 (W1>W3, W2>W3), and was significantly worse in women than in men. The level of life satisfaction also decreased significantly in W3 (W1>W3, W2>W3), but did not differ between men and women. High GAD risk was presented two times more frequently among women and people who subjectively assessed their health as poor, three times more likely in participants dissatisfied with their lives, and seven times more probably in persons with high-stress levels. Conclusions The results of this study consistently indicate (using parametric and non-parametric statistical analysis) that there are significant differences in mental health problems across three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. It suggests that pandemic waves should be considered in future review studies and meta-analyses. Furthermore, these findings indicate a potential role for prevention and intervention programs aimed at alleviating life satisfaction and subjective assessment of health and improving coping skills to reduce stress and anxiety.

scholarly journals Are Different Forms of Repetitive Negative Thinking Associated With Interpretation Bias in Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression?

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 969-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Krahé ◽  
Jessica Whyte ◽  
Livia Bridge ◽  
Sofia Loizou ◽  
Colette R. Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Interpretation Bias ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Repetitive Negative Thinking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Negative Thinking ◽  
Negative Thought

Worry and rumination, two forms of repetitive negative thinking (RNT), are prevalent in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and depression. Cognitive processing biases, especially the tendency to draw negative conclusions from ambiguous information (interpretation bias), may maintain worry and rumination. Yet the relationship between interpretation bias and both forms of RNT has not been explored in clinical versus nonclinical samples. In this cross-sectional study, participants with GAD ( n = 72), depression ( n = 79), or neither disorder ( n = 71) completed two tasks assessing interpretation bias, measures of worry and rumination, and reported negative thought intrusions during a behavioral task. Interpretation bias was associated with higher levels of worry, rumination, and negative thought intrusions. Both clinical groups generated significantly more negative interpretations than healthy comparison participants. These findings link interpretation bias to worry and rumination and establish the need for research investigating the causal role of interpretation bias in maintaining RNT.

Sex-specific associations between sleep and mental health in university students: a large cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Montagni ◽  
Sarah Qchiqach ◽  
Edwige Pereira ◽  
Phillip J. Tully ◽  
Christophe Tzourio
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional
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