Depression and its Relationship with Precaution Practices of Coronavirus: A Cross-sectional Study on University Students

Abstract

Studies have shown that the outbreak of COVID-19 would result in mental health problems. Though many studies have shown that adhering to the precaution practices (i.e., washing hands with soap and water, wearing masks, using disinfectants…etc.) are effective in slowing down infection, these practices had significant negative psychological effects as it increased the risk of developing depression and emotional distress. We aim to explore the correlation between adhering to the precaution practices and the depression in the community of Egyptian university students. To this end, a cross-sectional online survey of 417 undergraduate students in the British University in Egypt (BUE) who enrolled in different faculties was conducted between 18th of October and 11th of November 2021. An online survey included items about the adherent to follow the precautionary practices and depression. Depression was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The results showed that there was a significant difference between males and females, students enrolled in medical and non-medical faculties in adhering to the precautions practices. The regression analysis revealed that the adherent to follow the precaution practices increased student depression symptoms assessed by BDI-II.