ABSTRACT
Background COVID-19 is an ongoing event that has affected millions worldwide financially, socially, and psychologically; university students have also felt the devastating impact. Therefore, assessing how students have been affected psychologically is important, which is explored in this study. Methods This cross-sectional study took place in two institutions in Bahrain between October and December 2021. A survey assembled from pre-validated questionnaires was sent through Google Forms after receiving ethics approval. Data were analyzed using network plot analysis and linear regression analysis. Results Out of 292 responses, the most common demographic observed were vaccinated Bahraini females living with families at a mean age of 21.21 (SD±3.447). The mean scores for the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Centered for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), and Stigma Scale were 10.55 (SD ± 6.144), 18.75 (SD ± 9.147), and 25.40 (SD ± 3.428), respectively. The significant associations on ANOVA observed were stigma score and living status (p-value = 0.002), stigma, and alcohol consumption (p-value = <0.001). Statistically significant predictors of the outcomes in this study included gender for depressive symptoms (p-value = 0.013) and alcohol consumption for stigma (p-value = 0.017). Discussion The stigmatization of the pandemic may additionally influence sub-threshold depressive and anxiety-related symptoms in university students. Concluding from the results of this study, the psychological impact of the pandemic is significant among university students and needs to be addressed in institutions in Bahrain.
ABSTRACT
Objective This study was conducted to assess the traumatic impact of the second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, mental well-being, and resilience among the general population of India. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in May-June, 2021 via Google Forms, which included adult individuals who were willing to participate in the study. The purposive and snowball sampling technique was used to ensure the principle of maximum diversity. Standardised tools [Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Impact of Event-Revised (IES-R), Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)] were used to collect data. Results A total of 1,109 responses were analysed for this study. Participants of different age groups (mean age: 32.98 ±14.72 years) and different sociodemographics were enrolled. The younger population group (18-34 years) was found to be the most affected among all the age groups. The findings revealed that 44.18% showed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms. About 48.87%, 65.56%, and 22.09% of the participants had significant depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms respectively, and 11.27% had disturbed sleep patterns. Mental well-being was found to be disturbed for 74.75% of the study population, out of which only 4.15% showed high resilience capacity. Conclusion The associated collective psychological trauma mapped out by this paper is a pandemic in itself and needs to be addressed on a scale similar to the efforts being made to curb the physical symptoms of COVID-19.