LEVELS AND DETERMINANTS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND MENTAL STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BANGLADESH: A STUDY ON KHULNA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Ety Rani; Mst. Maskura Zaman

doi:10.53808/KUS.2024.21.01.1044-ss

Authors

Ety Rani Sociology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh
Mst. Maskura Zaman Sociology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2024.21.01.1044-ss

Keywords:

Anxiety, COVID-19, depression, home quarantine, mental stress, pandemic

Abstract

Modern life has led to a significant increase in depression, anxiety, and mental stress compared to past times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. University students have been going through different critical psychological stresses for a variety of reasons. The study was designed to know the levels and determinants of depression, anxiety, and mental stress during COVID-19 among university students. A total of 369 students from honors second year to fourth year and masters’ students at Khulna University participated in this cross-sectional web-based survey. Researchers have used convenience sampling as a technique of data collection. The levels of depression, anxiety, and mental stress were measured by Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) scale and Perceived Stress scale (PSS-4). A chi-square test was performed to test the hypothesis. The findings suggest a majority of the respondents' depression, anxiety, and mental stress levels were moderate to severe. Results of the chi-square test depicted that age, gender, place of residence, lagging academically, becoming infected with COVID-19, losing tuition, and uncertainty of career persuasion were significantly associated with depression where the p-value was <0.05. On the other hand, except age and place of residence there was a significant association between demographic variables and anxiety. Income, lagging academically, infected with COVID-19, loss any tuition, and career persuasion were significantly associated with mental stress. The family, relatives, society, university, government, and other NGOs should work together and take proper initiatives to reduce depression, anxiety, and mental stress among university students.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Mst. Maskura Zaman, Sociology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh

Former BSS student, Social Science School, Sociology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh

References

Abdellatif, A., & Gatto, M. (2020). It’s OK not to be OK: Shared reflections from two PhD parents in a time of pandemic. Gender, Work & Organization, 27(5), 723-733. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12465

Ahmed, A., Shahla, & Çerkez. (2020). The Impact of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress on Emotional Stability among the University Students from the view of educational aspects. Journal of Educational Psychology. Retrieved from https://revistas.usil.edu.pe/index.php/pyr/article/view/520 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20511/pyr2020.v8n3.520

Akat, M., & Karataş, K. (2020). Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Society and Its Reflections on Education. Research Gate. 10.7827/TurkishStudies.44336

Amin, Z., Nazrul, S., Ali, S., Raf, K. M., & Morshed, M. T. (2020). Impact of Coronavirus on Livelihoods: Low- and Lower Middle-Income Population of Urban Dhaka. UNDP. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/coronavirus/socio-economic-impact-COVID-19

Aslan, I., Ochnik, D., & Çınar, O. (2020). Exploring Perceived Stress among Students in Turkey during the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/23/8961 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17238961

Biswas, M. A., Hasan, M., Samir, N., Alin, S. I., Homaira, N., Hassan, M., . . . Koly, K. N. (2022, January 31). The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depressive Symptoms Among Medical Students in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.811345 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.811345

Browning, M. H., Larson, L. R., Sharaievska, I., Rigolon, A., McAnirlin, O., Mullenbach, L., . . . Helbich, M. (2021, January 7). Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States. PLOS ONE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245327

Chen, T., & Lucock, M. (2022). The mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey in the UK. PLOS ONE. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262562 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262562

Connor, J., Madhavan, S., Mokashi, M., Amanuel, H., R.Johnson, N., Pace, L., & Bartz, D. (2020). Health risks and outcomes that disproportionately affect women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review. Social Science & Medicine, Volume 266. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113364 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113364

Dutta, S., & Smita, M. K. (2020, September). The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Tertiary Education in Bangladesh: Students’ Perspectives. Scientific Research Publishing, 8, 16. doi:10.4236/jss.2020.89004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.89004

Faisal, R. A., Jobe, M. C., Ahmed, O., & Sharker, T. (2021). Mental Health Status, Anxiety, and Depression Levels of Bangladeshi University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-020-00458-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00458-y

Ghazawy, E. R., Ewis, A., & Mahfouz, E. (2021). Psychological impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the university students in Egypt. Health Promotion International, 1116-1125. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa147 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa147

Hamaideh, S. H., Al‐Modallal, H., Tanash, M. A., & Hamdan‐Mansour3, A. (2022). Depression,

anxiety and stress among undergraduate students during COVID‐19 outbreak and" home‐quarantine". Nursing Open, 9(2), 1423-1431. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.918

Idris, F., Zulkipli, I. N., Haji , K., Mumin, A.-M., Ahmad, S. R., Mitha, S., . . . David, S. R. (2021, October 27). Academic experiences, physical and mental health impact of COVID-19 pandemic on students and lecturers in health care education. BMC Medical Education. Retrieved from https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-021-02968-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02968-2

India Today. (2021, September 18). Retrieved from Effects of online education on mental and physical health: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/effects-of-online-education-on-mental-and-physical-health-1854320-2021-09-18

Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study. Plose one. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239696 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239696

Lopes, A. R., & Nihei, O. K. (2022). Depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in Brazilian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Predictors and association with life satisfaction, psychological well-being and coping strategies. PLOS ONE. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258493 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258493

Parker, K., Bennett, J., & Minkin, R. (2020, September). Economic Fallout From COVID-19 Continues To Hit Lower-Income Americans the Hardest. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/09/24/economic-fallout-from-COVID-19-continues-to-hit-lower-income-americans-the-hardest/

Repon, M. A., Pakhe, S. A., Quaiyum, S., Das, R., & Daria, S. (2021). Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among Bangladeshi healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study. Sage Journal. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/00368504211026409 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00368504211026409

Sifat, R. I. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: Mental stress, depression, anxiety among the university students in Bangladesh. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(5), 609-610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020965995

Sujan, M. H., Islam, M. S., Tasnim, R., & Sikder, M. (2020). Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh. Plos one. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245083 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245083

Sultana, A., & Ramij, M. G. (2020). Preparedness of Online Classes in Developing Countries amid COVID-19 Outbreak: A Perspective from Bangladesh. SSRN. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3638718

Thakur, A. (2020). Mental Health in High School Students at the Time of COVID-19: A Student’s Perspective. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 139-1310. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.005

Yeasmin, S., Banik, R., Hossain, S., & Hossain, M. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105277 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105277

Zhai, Y., & Du, X. (2020). Addressing collegiate mental health amid COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Psychiatry Research, 288. doi: 113003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113003

Zheng, R., Zhou, Y., Qiu, M., & Yan, Y. (2021). Prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among Hubei pediatric nurses during COVID-19 pandemic. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 104. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152217 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152217