Your browser doesn't support javascript.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of university students in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study.
Vajpeyi Misra, Anamika; Mamdouh, Heba M; Dani, Anita; Mitchell, Vivienne; Hussain, Hamid Y; Ibrahim, Gamal M; Alnakhi, Wafa K.
  • Vajpeyi Misra A; Department of Health Sciences- Social Work Program, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. amisra@hct.ac.ae.
  • Mamdouh HM; Department of Data Analysis, Research and Studies, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, UAE.
  • Dani A; Department of Family Health, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
  • Mitchell V; General Academic Requirement (General Studies), Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Hussain HY; Department of Health Sciences- Social Work Program, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Ibrahim GM; Department of Data Analysis, Research and Studies, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, UAE.
  • Alnakhi WK; Department of Data Analysis, Research and Studies, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, UAE.
BMC Psychol ; 10(1): 312, 2022 Dec 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2196476
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the mental well-being of students worldwide. There is a scarcity of information on the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study aimed to investigate the mental health impact of the COVID-19, including depression, anxiety and resilience among a sample of university students in the UAE.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted from September to November 2021. The patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) were used to assess depression, anxiety, and resilience. The COVID-19 impact was assessed using a list of questions.

RESULTS:

Only, 798 students completed the survey and were analyzed for this study. Overall, 74.8% of the students were females, 91.2% were never married, and 66.3% were UAE-nationals. Based on PHQ-9 and GAD-7 cut-off scores (≥ 10), four out of ten of the students self-reported moderate to severe depression (40.9%) and anxiety (39.1%). Significantly higher mean PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were found among students who were impacted by COVID-19 than those non-impacted (mean PHQ-9 = 9.51 ± 6.39 and 6.80 ± 6.34; p = 0.001, respectively) and (mean GAD-7 = 9.03 ± 6.00 and 8.54 ± 6.02; respectively, p < 0.001). Female students who were impacted by COVID-19 had statistically significant higher depression and anxiety scores (mean PHQ-9 of 9.14 ± 5.86 vs. 6.83 ± 6.25, respectively; p < 0.001) than the non-impacted females (mean GAD-7 of 9.57 ± 6.32 vs. 5.15 ± 3.88, respectively; p = 0.005). Never married students had significantly higher PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores than ever-married (9.31 ± 6.37 vs. 6.93 ± 5.47, P = 0.003) and (8.89 ± 6.11 vs. 7.13 ± 5.49, respectively; p = 0.017).

CONCLUSIONS:

The results of this study demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of this sample of university students in terms of depression and anxiety. The results highlight the need to adopt culturally appropriate interventions for university students and focus on vulnerable groups.
Subject(s)
Keywords

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Mental Health / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Female / Humans / Male Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: BMC Psychol Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

Similar

MEDLINE

...
LILACS

LIS


Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Mental Health / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Female / Humans / Male Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: BMC Psychol Year: 2022 Document Type: Article