Association of handgrip strength and depression in medical undergraduate students during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has affected the life of all individuals including medical undergraduate students, both physically as well as mentally. Handgrip muscle strength is the maximum force developed during maximal voluntary contraction under a given set of conditions using a handgrip dynamometer. Various studies have concluded that muscle strength can be a predictor of depressive symptoms among the elderly population. Not much attention has been given to assess similar correlation in younger generation. Aim and Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the correlation of maximal hand grip strength with depression among young population especially medical undergraduates during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted on 50 medical students in 18–24 years age group (25 male and 25 female) in North India. The grip strength of dominant as well as non-dominant hand was measured thrice at an interval of 1 min, and highest reading recorded was considered to be the maximum hand grip strength for each student. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were assessed using DASS 21scale. Results: Data were analyzed on Microsoft excel. It was noted that handgrip strength in both male and female students were decreased. Overall students were having symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusion: The present study suggests that there should be awareness of and sensitivity to student’s mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Handgrip strength can be a reliable method of identifying stressed individuals and is a safe, cheap, time economical, and easy to perform method for a large number of participants.