COVID-19 fear and anxiety as mediators in the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and psychopathology: a community-based study during the 2nd confinement in Portugal

Peixoto, Maria Manuela; Cunha, Olga

doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04782-z

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 39 publications

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“…Several international studies documented negative psychological effects among university students because of the COVID-19 pandemic [12][13][14]. Portugal followed this tendency, exhibiting increased rates of anxiety and depression during the pandemic [5,[15][16][17][18]. The combination of pandemic-related distress and restrictive preventative measures could have exacerbated pre-existing mental health conditions, giving rise to new symptoms in individuals who had not previously experienced mental health concerns [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and Psychometric Properties of the 21-Item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) among Portuguese Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Laranjeira,

Querido,

Sousa

et al. 2023

EJIHPE

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial disruptions in the lives of higher education students, with detrimental repercussions for academic performance and overall mental health. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among Portuguese higher education students during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and investigate DASS-21’s psychometric characteristics and whether it functions effectively during a pandemic. A convenience sampling procedure was used to recruit 1522 participants (75.1% women and 79.2% undergraduate students) for this cross-sectional research. Participants completed an e-survey created using DASS-21. The results revealed a considerable prevalence of symptoms of depression [≥10] (N = 434, 28.5%), anxiety [≥7] (N = 551, 36.2%), and stress [≥11] (N = 544, 35.7%). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed the scale’s three-factor structure, which matched the three DASS-21 subscales. Subsequently, the heterotrait–monotrait (HTMT) correlation ratio evaluated the scale’s discriminant validity, which was relatively good. Cronbach’s alpha measured the internal consistency of the DASS subscales, which was excellent (Cronbach’s α > 0.90). DASS-21 was shown to be a reliable and appropriate measure for assessing students’ mental health. Furthermore, DASS-21 is recommended for use by academics and healthcare professionals in measuring students’ psychological distress. Further validation studies of this scale are needed with larger and more representative samples.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and Psychometric Properties of the 21-Item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) among Portuguese Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Laranjeira,

Querido,

Sousa

et al. 2023

EJIHPE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Health anxiety during a global pandemic: a comparison of medical and non-medical students in Mashhad, Iran

Nahidi,

Fayyazi Bordbar,

Mohammadi

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mental health worldwide, especially among healthcare professionals, including medical students, who were more exposed to pandemic-related stressors. However, health anxiety within this vulnerable group remains understudied.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess and compare health anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety between medical and non-medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify factors associated with these forms of anxiety.MethodsThis cross-sectional study recruited Iranian medical and non-medical students studying in Mashhad via convenience sampling using messaging apps. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire on demographic and social factors, along with the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), with higher scores reflecting greater symptom severity. Statistical analyses evaluated group differences, correlations between HAI and CDAS scores, and the influence of confounding variables.ResultsA total of 305 students participated, with 176 medical students (57.7%) and 129 non-medical students (42.3%). The majority (92.7%) reported mild COVID-19 anxiety, while 3.2% reported moderate and 0.98% reported severe COVID-19 anxiety. COVID-19 anxiety did not significantly differ between medical and non-medical students (P = 0.439). However, medical students reported significantly higher fear of illness consequences than non-medical students (P = 0.037), while no significant differences were found in susceptibility to disease (P = 0.299) or general health concern (P = 0.156). HAI and CDAS scores were significantly correlated (r = 0.30, P < 0.001). Based on logistic regression, Female gender (OR = 4.55, P = 0.002) was associated with susceptibility to health anxiety, while studying a non-medical major was associated with lower health anxiety (OR = 0.01, P < 0.001) and lower COVID-19 anxiety (OR = 0.05, P < 0.001).ConclusionMild COVID-19 anxiety was prevalent among both medical and non-medical students, with comparable levels of health anxiety across the groups. These findings suggest the need for targeted mental health support among students during pandemic conditions.

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COVID-19 fear and anxiety as mediators in the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and psychopathology: a community-based study during the 2nd confinement in Portugal

Cited by 2 publications

References 39 publications

Assessment and Psychometric Properties of the 21-Item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) among Portuguese Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Assessment and Psychometric Properties of the 21-Item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) among Portuguese Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Health anxiety during a global pandemic: a comparison of medical and non-medical students in Mashhad, Iran

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