Depression, anxiety, stress and perceived mental healthcare need of Sri Lankan undergraduates studying in selected countries affected by COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: The spread of COVID-19 pandemic has caused a considerable level of stress among the university students. The objective of this study was to determine depression, anxiety, stress and perceived mental healthcare needs of Sri Lankan undergraduates studying in countries affected by COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with Sri Lankan undergraduates studying in Russia, India and Sri Lanka from 01st July 2020 to 31st December 2020. Snowball sampling technique was used. An online self-reported questionnaire designed based on published literature was used for data collection. Data were analysed using SPSS software version 21. Results: A total of 187 Sri Lankan undergraduates studied in India (26.7%), Russia (39.6%) and Sri Lanka (33.7%) were enrolled. Of the total, 61.5% of participants were female. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among participants were 11.58%, 11.58% and 3.16%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduates with reference to gender, age, type of degree, marital status, status of living or studying country. The present study concludes that prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has caused considerable stress, depression and anxiety among undergraduates. However, reported depression, anxiety and stress were less compared to studies done on other Asian undergraduates.