Abstract
Aim: This cross-sectional observational study aimed to evaluate the influence of the Universities lockdown measures on academic perspectives and psychosocial aspects of Brazilian finalyear dental students. Methods: 268 undergraduate students regularly enrolled in a Dentistry course at public universities were asked about anxiety, depression, stress sensitivity, and their academic perspectives by using an online survey. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to measure anxiety and depression, while the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) evaluated stress levels. The academic perspective was evaluated by five affirmatives regarding possible difficulties that will be faced when school reopens and after graduation. The possible association between fear of having COVID-19 with psychosocial outcomes and COVID-19 association with academic perspectives were analyzed by ANOVA and chisquare tests, respectively, considering a significance level of 5%. Results: Considering possible associations between the fear of having COVID-19 and psychosocial aspects, significant values were found for anxiety (P = 0.018) and stress sensitivity (P = 0.002). Regarding students’ academic perspectives, COVID-19 had significant impact on less opportunity to perform procedures (P = 0.023), additional expenses with personal protective equipment (P = 0.007), and concerns of consulting elderly people (P = 0.012). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased psychological impairments and enlarged concerns with learning and biosecurity, which might impact academic perspectives. Thus, being aware of these apprehensions, university professors and staff can improve the clinical training of final-year dental students in an empathetic way.
Highlights
COVID-19 was first identified in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China[1], and declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO)[2]
Researchers investigating the immediate psychological response during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in China showed that 53.8% of the respondents had moderate to severe psychological impact[5], and it could be increased as the pandemic scenario continues
This cross-sectional observational study was previously approved by the local Ethics Committee (CAAE: 38129220.7.0000.5418) and included undergraduate students regularly enrolled in the last year of Dentistry course at public universities of São Paulo, Brazil
Summary
COVID-19 was first identified in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China[1], and declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO)[2]. Researchers investigating the immediate psychological response during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in China showed that 53.8% of the respondents had moderate to severe psychological impact[5], and it could be increased as the pandemic scenario continues. This perception can be further aggravated when university students are considered. Remote education has been a temporary strategy to enable classes, exams, and group discussions, maintaining teaching-related activities. It cannot replace in-person lessons, which are essential for the development of skills and attitudes for integral education[8]. Especially for pre-clinical and clinical students, online education has several limitations[9], which may lead to higher levels of stress considering the uncertainties[10]
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