Psychological impact of COVID-19 among a cohort of Sri Lankan medical students: Preliminary results

Abayabandara-Herath, Thilini; Premaratne, I.; Ediriweera, D.; Chandrathilake, Madawa; Hapangama, A.

doi:10.4038/sljpsyc.v13i1.8358

Cited by 3 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…This study found no significant differences between economic affluence, stress and depression. Our study findings contradict previous studies (Abayabandara-Herath, et al, 2022;Mehareen, et al, 2021;Rehman, et al, 2021;Shafiq, et al, 2021) reported that students with poor economic conditions were more prone to having higher levels of depression and stress. This could be because private university students are likely to have better socioeconomic status.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

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Undergraduate Student’s Stress, Anxiety, Depression and their Coping styles during Covid-19

Kabir,

Sultana,

Mondal

et al. 2023

MHGCJ

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Introduction: COVID-19 was responsible for widespread disturbance throughout the educational system and was harmful in a variety of ways. In particular with regard to the state of a student’s psychological health. Purpose: This study examines the relationship between psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) and coping strategies among the students of a private university in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted from September 2020 to December 2021 on 951 respondents using the DASS-21 and Brief-COPE questionnaires. Results: The majority of students were experiencing mild to extremely severe depression (75.8%), anxiety (88.5%), and stress (79.1%). The level of stress (p<.001), anxiety (p<.001), and depression (p=.23) was significantly higher among the female students compared with male students. This study also highlights the coping strategies of students. However, sex differences were not profound in adopting coping strategies. The results also showed significant correlation between some Brief-COPE measures, such as acceptance and self-blame (r=.708, p<.001); use of informational support and emotional support (r=.599, p<.001). Conclusion: As the prevalence of mental health disorders was found to be higher among private university students, university authorities should seek necessary assistance from mental health professionals to support their students in overcoming psychological distress not only related to the pandemic but also related to their day-to-day life activities.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the prevalence of SAD is significantly higher among the female students as compared with the male students. This finding is consistent with previous studies (Abayabandara -Herath, et al, 2022;Huang, et al, 2021;M. S. Islam, et al, 2020;Verma, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Undergraduate Student’s Stress, Anxiety, Depression and their Coping styles during Covid-19

Kabir,

Sultana,

Mondal

et al. 2023

MHGCJ

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“…The likelihood of depression was positively correlated with the frequency of exposure to threatening life events among these students [ 27 ]. Depression was also associated with economic difficulties among university students [ 33 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and associated factors of depression in Sri Lanka: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Alwis

Baminiwatta

Chandradasa

2023

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

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Purpose Epidemiological data on depression are required to inform policies and service planning in mental health in Sri Lanka. This review aimed to synthesise data from existing studies to calculate the pooled prevalence of depression in Sri Lanka, assess its variability across subgroups, and identify associated factors within each subgroup. Methods PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Google Scholar and local journals were searched to identify peer-reviewed studies reporting the prevalence of depression among non-clinical adult, young, older, and maternal populations in Sri Lanka. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to calculate pooled prevalence estimates. Subgroup, sensitivity and moderator analyses were performed. A qualitative synthesis of factors associated with depression was conducted. Results A total of 33 studies representing a total of 52,778 participants were included. Overall, the pooled prevalence of depression was 19.4% [14.44–25.54%]. Among subpopulations, the highest prevalence was reported among young persons (39%); the rates in adults, older persons and maternal populations were 8.7%, 18.4% and 16.9%, respectively. Prevalence estimates were higher when based on screening instruments (21.2%) compared to diagnostic interviews (4.3%). A high degree of heterogeneity (I 2 = 99.2) was observed. A qualitative synthesis of factors associated with depression, including individual attributes and behaviours, socio-economic circumstances and broader environmental factors, is reported for each age group. Conclusion Approximately one-fifth of the population was detected to have depression. Notable variations in prevalence were observed across age groups. The heterogeneity of studies limits the inferences drawn from this review.

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“…Therefore, it is necessary to effectively report the psychological disturbances of Sri Lankan undergraduates due to Covid-19-how it could affect their academic performances; how this type of unexpected circumstances affect the very gentle personalities the young population have; and how their normal education which is not normal to them as previous is impacted. However, studies related to other undergraduates are scarce 40,[58][59][60] compared to the studies done among medical undergraduates in Sri Lanka 12,[61][62][63][64] . Several research findings about the prevalence of psychological issues and factors associated with the Covid-19 disease among undergraduates in Sri Lanka were reported 7,40,58,59,62,63 12 , that there were significant psychosocial stressors, and it may tend to develop more psychological morbidity among that population.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Stress Anxiety and Depressive Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some literature, lower levels of stress and anxiety were found. Covid-19 epidemic had a significant impact on medical students' psychological health (25.1%) and (1.6%) of students reported having anxiety and stress levels that were over the recommended levels 61 . One study done in Sri Lanka in 2020, including Indian and Russian undergraduates, reported that 3.16% of undergraduates experienced stress and 11.58% of undergraduates had anxiety due to Covid-19 which was remarkably lower than the current study 7 .…”

Section: Prevalence Of Stress Anxiety and Depressive Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological disturbances encountered by selected undergraduates studying at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka during the Covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Kaushani,

Weeratunga

2023

Sci Rep

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University undergraduates are increasingly recognized as a vulnerable population with a higher level of psychological disturbances. During the Covid-19 pandemic, universities closed all over the world, resulting in the psychological well-being of this population being severely affected across the globe. This study examined the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms encountered by undergraduates of the selected five faculties at the University of Ruhuna in Southern Sri Lanka due to the Covid-19 pandemic, its associated factors, and the correlations between stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. An online, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among undergraduates using pre-tested, self-administered questionnaires from the randomly selected five faculties: Allied Health Sciences, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management and Finance, and Medicine. Undergraduates were invited to complete the Google Form. Socio-demographic details and a 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (21-DASS) were used for data collection. Stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were evaluated using a Sinhala version of the 21-DASS scale. Ethical permission was granted by the Ethics Review Committee of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ruhuna. Among the 359 undergraduates, the majority were represented by females (62.1%). The mean age of the sample was 23.67 years (SD ± 1.6). Stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were found to be prevalent in 53.7%, 41.8%, and 63.8% of undergraduates respectively. Younger and female undergraduates had more impact on psychological issues than their counterparts. It revealed a significant positive correlation between anxiety and depressive symptoms (r = 0.646, p < .001), anxiety and stress (r = 0.868, p < .001), and stress and anxiety (r = 0.786, p < .001). Most undergraduates experienced considerable levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms during the Covid-19 as increasing stress, anxiety, or depressive symptoms, tend to increase all types of psychological disturbances. The development of mental health among undergraduates is essential and needs innovative strategies to improve the psychological well-being of undergraduates. The initiation of a stress management programme and expanded available counseling services are also important. Further studies are needed to be conducted on the extended topic of how the Covid-19 era is affecting the psychological well-being of undergraduates from different universities (state/non-state), locations, and different study departments.

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Psychological impact of COVID-19 among a cohort of Sri Lankan medical students: Preliminary results

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Undergraduate Student’s Stress, Anxiety, Depression and their Coping styles during Covid-19

Undergraduate Student’s Stress, Anxiety, Depression and their Coping styles during Covid-19

Prevalence and associated factors of depression in Sri Lanka: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Psychological disturbances encountered by selected undergraduates studying at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka during the Covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

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