Abstract
BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak poses serious threats to the physical and mental health of individuals worldwide. The lockdown strategy and social distancing regulations adopted in South Africa have disrupted the day-to-day life activities of all people including students.AimTo explore the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of optometry students at a higher education institution.SettingThe study population included optometry students currently registered at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in Durban, South Africa.MethodsThe study adopted a case study research design and used an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews to collect data. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire that assesses depression, anxiety and stress subscales was used. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The interview data were analysed using thematic content analysis.ResultsA total of 147 participants responded to the online questionnaire and consisted of majority black people (n = 98), female (n = 114) and second year (n = 58) students. The majority of the participants had normal scores for depression (n = 97), anxiety (n = 79) and stress (n = 107). Only a few participants had scores indicating severe or extremely severe depression (n = 13), anxiety (n = 23) and stress (n = 5). Follow-up interviews were conducted with 10 participants and of these, seven reported that COVID-19 had a negative impact on their ability to concentrate and they felt anxious about examining patients. Factors such as stigma and judgment were perceived as hindrances to seeking mental health help.ConclusionMost participants had normal scores for depression, anxiety and stress; however, some participants presented with abnormal scores. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health should be highlighted and higher education authorities should plan and provide appropriate services to improve the quality of life of affected students.
Highlights
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause respiratory infections
There were 51 (34.7%) participants who lived in rural areas, 71 (48.3%) participants who lived in urban areas and 25 (17.0%) participants who lived in semi-urban areas
This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of optometry students at a higher education institution
Summary
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause respiratory infections. The most recent coronavirus disease, which is the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).[1,2] The outbreak of COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019.2 The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020 and recognised it as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. Apart from the crucial challenges to the well-being of humans, COVID-19 poses a serious threat to the mental health of individuals.[3,4,5,6] In addition to fear of death from COVID-19, death amongst family members and friends and the resulting impact on mental health are important aspects that need to be recognised and addressed. As of 06 September 2021, there were 221.9 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide with just over 1.5 million deaths.[7] In South Africa, as of 06 September 2021, there were almost 2.8 million confirmed cases with 83 617 deaths[8] and these figures reflect a serious scenario with respect to the rapid spread of infection. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak poses serious threats to the physical and mental health of individuals worldwide. The lockdown strategy and social distancing regulations adopted in South Africa have disrupted the day-to-day life activities of all people including students
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