Health-related impediments to learning among dental and oral surgery students

Anxiety level among students of different college and universities in India during lock down in connection to the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

COVID-19 incidence became a pandemic immediately after its origin and spread. Apart from death because of coronavirus infection, the pandemic brought unbearable psychological pressure to all. We assessed the psychological pressure on college and university students in India through cluster sampling.

Methods

The students responded (n = 209) to an online questionnaire following the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) with some other basic information.

Results

According to GAD-7 scoring, we found the respondent students had severe anxiety (1.44%), moderately severe anxiety (14.35%), moderate anxiety (36.36%) and mild anxiety (47.85%). Following HAM-A scoring, anxiety level among the students could be scaled as severe (0.96%), high (4.31%), moderate (13.40%) and mild anxiety (34.93%) level. Age of the students was a confounding factor (p = 0.049, HAM-A) of experiencing anxiety, students <20 years of age were more anxious. We found female students to be more anxious than the males following the HAM-A scoring tool. Academic delays (R² = 0.996, p = 0.036) and impact on daily life (R² = 0.996, p = 0.117) were positively associated with anxiety symptoms, while social support was marginally correlated (R² = 0.726, p = 0.069) with the anxiety level.

Conclusions

As the study found almost all the students are experiencing anxiety because of the current pandemic situation, continuous observation of psychological health for all is recommended as well as establishing psychological intervention during the preparedness phase.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 restrictions on undergraduate students in Jordan

Introduction

COVID-19 has spread all over the world since December 2019 causing millions of deaths. The pandemic has not only caused a risk of death from the infection but also caused psychological unbearable stress on people due to restrictions.

Methodology

A sample of students from Jordanian different universities using a questionnaire has been conducted. The questionnaire has been prepared with different personal questions to correlate the answers with anger episodes/week.

Results

750 students participated and indicated that 13.6% and 20.9% of students have been facing severe anger episodes (>2) or moderate anger episodes (1-2) every week. Moreover, stable family income ((OR=0.901, 95%CI = 0.799-0.998), studying at private universities (OR=0.0.724, 95%CI = 0.627-.833) and living in the city centre (OR=0.0.698, 95%CI = 0.492-0.897) have a protective effect on anger episodes. However, student gender and study level have no significant effect on anger severity.

Conclusion

Undergraduate and master's students have faced severe conditions during the Covid-19 lockdown which had a direct psychological effect on them. Students' situations and students' study levels should be taken into consideration to provide a mental health program for whom under huge stress.

A cross-sectional study investigating mental health and resilience among pre-doctoral students at a US dental school

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

This study explored key mental health measures as self-reported by pre-doctoral dental students enrolled in all four years of dental school and their relationships with a year in school and resilience.

METHODS

This study utilized archival data from the National Collegiate Health Assessment (NCHA) survey administered in Fall 2020. This instrument is a compilation of validated measures assessing a broad spectrum of health-related behaviors, including nutrition, substance use, social relationships, and mental health. The mental health measures explored in this study included validated scales assessing mental distress, suicide behavior risk, psychological well-being, and resilience.

RESULTS

Students in all 4 years of dental school completed the survey (62% response rate). Most students reported high resilience, positive psychological well-being, and moderate mental distress, with mental health challenges spiking in the D2 and D3 years. Resilience emerged as a protective factor for student mental health. Years in school did not retain a significant impact on mental health when controlling for resilience.

CONCLUSIONS

Resilience is important in bolstering dental students' mental health. Dental students' mental health challenges increased during the D2 and D3 years. Dental educators may positively influence student well-being by taking measures that foster resilience at the beginning of and midway through dental school.

COVID-19 pandemic and emergency remote education practices: Effects on dentistry students

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused not only viral infection-related deaths, but also uncontrollable psychological problems and anxiety in different parts of society. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in adaption of a comprehensive online education period that has not been previously experienced in modern education.

Aim

This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate dental students' experiences with emergency remote education practices, related levels of anxiety, and sociodemographic factors affecting anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subjects and Methods

This study was conducted during the period when social isolation measures were applied at the maximum level and face-to-face education was suspended in all dentistry faculties in Turkey due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sociodemographic data and anxiety experienced by dental students were investigated using an online questionnaire. The anxiety levels were evaluated by using a 10-Item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and attitudes of the students toward distance education were determined using a 5-point Likert-type scale.

Results

The study included 2.290 students. A total of 76.46% of these students attended to emergency remote education practices provided by their faculty. While 66.7% of students were satisfied with the transition process of their faculty to distance education, 18.4% of them found emergency remote learning to be completely unsuccessful. Mean PSS-10 score was 24.68 ± 6.74 and 94.8% of the students experienced moderate-to-high anxiety during the process. The compulsory and emergency remote education was found to significantly increase anxiety in private university students compared to public university students (P = 0.03) and in those students with low family income than the moderate and high ones (P = 0.01). There was a significant relationship between PSS-10 levels and students' anxiety about their academic performance, career plans, transition process to distance education, and their desire to continue remote theoretical online educations. The increase in these aforementioned parameters significantly decreased PSS-10 scores (P = 0.000).

Conclusions

The emergency online remote education practices during the COVID-19 pandemic caused anxiety in dentistry students. It is expected that only distance education practices would be insufficient, and blended education models consisting of distance and face-to-face practices should be implemented.

Psychological Impact and Compliance with Staying at Home of the Public to COVID-19 Outbreak during Chinese Spring Festival

In December 2019, COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. Most of the studies related to the psychological impact and compliance with staying at home due to COVID-19 focused on ten days or one month after the initial “stay-at-home” phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The early psychological impact and behavior change to COVID-19 during the Chinese Spring Festival (the start time for recommendations to stay at home) is uncertain. In this study, people from 23 provinces in China were recruited to participate in an online survey, using Credamo. Psychological impact and compliance with staying at home were evaluated by a self-designed and validated questionnaire. The results indicated that anxiety was the most often reported feeling (mean: 3.69), followed by sadness (mean: 3.63). Participants employed in foreign-owned companies were most likely to express anxiety and sadness. Overall, 61.8% of participants reported hardly going out, whereas 2.4% said they frequently went out during the initial “stay-at-home” phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants with higher levels of anxiety and sadness were most likely to stay at home against the spread of COVID-19, as were female gender. This survey is an important study of the first reaction to staying at home during the initial “stay-at-home” phase coinciding with Chinese Spring Festival. Our findings identified factors associated with higher level of psychological impact and better compliance with staying at home recommendations during Chinese Spring Festival. The findings can be used to formulate precaution interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups and high uptake of policy during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Mental health and wellness in Canadian dental schools: Findings from a national study

OBJECTIVES

To survey the mental health and wellbeing content in the curricula, services, and activities of the 10 Canadian dental schools, and to explore the specifics of this area in the Faculty of Dentistry (FoD) at The University of British Columbia (UBC).

METHODS

An electronic survey consisted of four major categories: curricular activities and services, structural approaches, infrastructural approaches, and evaluation methods, was distributed to all Canadian dental schools. A situational analysis was conducted at UBC's FoD via document appraisal and key informants' exploratory interviews.

RESULTS

Eight dental schools responded to the survey showing that didactic sessions being the pedagogical method to deliver resilience content. None of the responding schools reported formally evaluating their mental health content. Through situational analysis, a relational map that identified four major areas contributing to students' mental health at UBC's FoD was generated which includes four major aspects: (1) curricular content on mental health, (2) informal wellbeing and mental health networks, (3) protective, and (4) risk factors influencing students' mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

As this study described the mental health and wellbeing activities, services, and curricular content across multiple Canadian dental schools, the diverse approaches each school adopted and how personal and professional aspects of students' lives being attempted to be addressed are a critical starting point to engage educators in dentistry. The situational analysis outcome, where a detailed description of the mental health situation at UBC's FoD, can be used to guide in-depth studies of the area of wellbeing at other dental schools.

Impact of COVID-19 on medical students' mental wellbeing in Jordan

COVID-19 has spread throughout the world and has resulted in significant morbidity, mortality, and negative psychological impact. This prospective cross-sectional study is exploring the effect of the pandemic on mental health of medical students. The study was conducted at six Jordanian medical schools using an online survey to collect students’ socio-demographic and academic data. Assessment of mental wellbeing status was done using Kessler’s psychological stress scale (K10); the impact of COVID-19 on life activities and strategies followed to manage the situation were also examined. A total of 553 medical students were recruited for the study. Men constituted 40.1%, and women were 59.9%. Students reported that COVID-19 has affected the aspects of physical fitness (73.1%), study (68.4%), and social relationships (65.6%) the most. Sixty-six percent of the students were concerned about family members’ affection, and more than half (58.4%) explained their concerns about the inability to get clinical sessions and labs. Cooking, baking, and hobby practicing were the most popular methods to improve their mental wellbeing. About half of the participants had a severe mental disorder, and only 13.2% were likely to be well. The study indicates that half of our medical students suffer severe mental disorders, with physical fitness, exercise, and studying being among the most affected aspects during the COVID 19 pandemic. It is recommended that measures need be taken to alleviate students’ stress, which might have deleterious effects in many aspects.

Is returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic stressful? A study on immediate mental health status of Chinese college students

BACKGROUND

As the COVID-19 pandemic has posed substantial impacts on individual's daily routine and psychological state. For the first time at great scale, Chinese college students had their educational activities moved online in spring 2020. Due to this unexpected isolation and unconventional learning method, their mental health following returning to school is worth investigating.

METHODS

Between June 1 and June 15, 2020, a total of 8,921 returning college students' mental health status were assessed using instruments designed for psychiatric disorders, namely the 9-Item Patient Heath Questionnaire (PHQ-9), 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), 6-Item Impact of Event Scale (IES-6), Youth Self Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), and self-developed questionnaire.

RESULTS

Our results showed that 8.7%, 4.2%, 10.5%, and 6.1% of the participants experienced depression, anxiety, acute stress, and insomnia, respectively, with a total of 19.8% reporting having at least one psychiatric symptom following their return to school. Sophomore and Senior year, and presence of previous psychiatric conditions contribute to the increased occurrence of psychiatric issues. The level of impact by COVID-19 on one's daily functioning is also positively associated with poor mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggested no significant increase in the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, following the first batch of students' return to school. These findings aim to complement the current understanding of the psychiatric impact of COVID-19 on students and assist school principals to plan their return-to-school approaches in a mental-health sensitive way.

Impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the health of university students

The Covid-19 pandemic caused by the novel Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, has resulted in millions of deaths and disruption to daily life across the globe. University students have been additionally affected by a sudden move to online learning, the closure of campuses and dramatic societal changes that have upended their experiences of higher education. Here we focus on the physical and mental health consequences of the pandemic for this population sector during 2020, and the interdependencies of these impacts. We survey the challenges for infection control on campuses and for monitoring the disease dynamics in student communities. Finally, we explore the psychological and mental health problems that have been exacerbated by the pandemic and evaluate the underlying factors that are most relevant to students.

COVID-19: Are School Counseling Services Ready? Students' Psychological Symptoms, School Counselors' Views, and Solutions

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on high school students' psychological symptoms and to understand how ready counselors and school counseling services are based on the data we have. Therefore, this research is designed under two different studies: (A) Study 1: Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on students' psychological symptoms and (B) Study 2: Views and expectations of students and school counselors about school counseling services. The first study was a quantitative study and included 549 high school students (398 female, 151 male). A structural equation model (SEM) was created to examine the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on participants' psychological symptoms. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) scores showed that 107 (19.50%) individuals had a score of 50 and above pointing out that individuals in this group had severe impact of event/trauma symptomologies. The SEM analysis indicated that IES-R scores had a total effect of 0.79 on anxiety, 0.75 on depression, 0.74 on negative self-concept, 0.68 on somatization, and 0.66 on hostility scores. Furthermore, female students had significantly higher scores on anxiety, depression, negative self-concept, somatization, hostility, and impact of events variables than male students. Study 2 was a qualitative design and consisted of five school counselors and five students from different schools. The results indicated that students' difficulties during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak were educational, cognitive, emotional, physiological, relational, technological, and related to routines. Academic, social, emotional, and behavioral issues came to the fore among the difficulties that can be experienced if students start face-to-face education. On the other hand, the school counselors listed that family relations, personal-social, emotional, and academic themes were the difficulties experienced by the students at the beginning of the COVID-19. In addition, when COVID-19 started, the services offered by school counselors were discussed under (1) services for the student, (2) services for the family, and (3) services for the teacher. Finally, according to the opinions of the school counselors, if students start face-to-face education, they may experience emotional, academic, and relational difficulties. In summary, it is vital that student personality services be prepared and implemented by school counseling services for schools based on the results.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students: A Global Perspective

The paper presents the most comprehensive and large-scale study to date on how students perceive the impacts of the first wave of COVID-19 crisis in early 2020 on various aspects of their lives on a global level. With a sample of 30,383 students from 62 countries, the study reveals that amid the worldwide lockdown and transition to online learning students were most satisfied with the support provided by teaching staff and their universities’ public relations. Still, deficient computer skills and the perception of a higher workload prevented them from perceiving their own improved performance in the new teaching environment. Students were mainly concerned about issues to do with their future professional career and studies, and experienced boredom, anxiety, and frustration. The pandemic has led to the adoption of particular hygienic behaviours (e.g., wearing masks, washing hands) and discouraged certain daily practices (e.g., leaving home, shaking hands). Students were also more satisfied with the role played by hospitals and universities during the epidemic compared to the governments and banks. The findings also show that students with certain socio-demographic characteristics (male, part-time, first-level, applied sciences, a lower living standard, from Africa or Asia) were significantly less satisfied with their academic work/life during the crisis, whereas female, full-time, first-level students and students faced with financial problems were generally affected more by the pandemic in terms of their emotional life and personal circumstances. Key factors influencing students’ satisfaction with the role of their university are also identified. Policymakers and higher education institutions around the world may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support students during this and any future pandemics.

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China

A COVID-19 epidemic has been spreading in China and other parts of the world since December 2019. The epidemic has brought not only the risk of death from infection but also unbearable psychological pressure. We sampled college students from Changzhi medical college by using cluster sampling. They responded to a questionnaire packet that included the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and those inquiring the participants' basic information. We received 7,143 responses. Results indicated that 0.9% of the respondents were experiencing severe anxiety, 2.7% moderate anxiety, and 21.3% mild anxiety. Moreover, living in urban areas (OR = 0.810, 95% CI = 0.709 - 0.925), family income stability (OR = 0.726, 95% CI = 0.645 - 0.817) and living with parents (OR = 0.752, 95% CI = 0.596 - 0.950) were protective factors against anxiety. Moreover, having relatives or acquaintances infected with COVID-19 was a risk factor for increasing the anxiety of college students (OR = 3.007, 95% CI = 2.377 - 3.804). Results of correlation analysis indicated that economic effects, and effects on daily life, as well as delays in academic activities, were positively associated with anxiety symptoms (P < .001). However, social support was negatively correlated with the level of anxiety (P < .001). It is suggested that the mental health of college students should be monitored during epidemics.