Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown have led to an increasing number of mental health issues in Malaysia. The demands of living during the pandemic have caused a rising number of university students to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health problems. A survey done by National Health and Morbidity 2015 found that the prevalence of mental health problems among adults in Malaysia has increased from 10.7% in 1996, to 11.2% in 2006, to 29.2% in 2015. Moreover, one in 10 individuals in 2011 to one in five in 2016 cases reported are among Malaysian students. Thus, the study explores the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among university students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted the DASS-21 inventory to measure the mental health of the students during the pandemic COVID-19 that assesses the depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. Data obtained from the 355 Malaysian university students showed that most of the respondents were sometimes feeling depressed by having negative feelings (44.2%)”, and unable to become enthusiastic (44.5%)”, feeling anxious where they were close to panic (33.8%)” and dryness of their mouth (31.5%)”, and feeling stressed where they found themselves getting agitated (40.3%)” and difficult to relax (40.8%)”. The findings may suggest that further research is proposed for the inclusion of successful coping strategies used by the students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research should also develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of university students.
Highlights
The occurrence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which started in China in December 2019, is a devastating tragedy that has spread across the entire world at the speed of light
Data obtained from the 355 Malaysian university students showed that most of the respondents were sometimes feeling depressed by having negative feelings (44.2%)”, and unable to become enthusiastic (44.5%)”, feeling anxious where they were close to panic (33.8%)” and dryness of their mouth (31.5%)”, and feeling stressed where they found themselves getting agitated (40.3%)” and difficult to relax (40.8%)”
This study explores the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among university students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
The occurrence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which started in China in December 2019, is a devastating tragedy that has spread across the entire world at the speed of light. It is apparent that the unshakable psychological and social impacts of the pandemic are undeniable, and it is critical to take steps in developing strength and coping with such damaging consequences of a pandemic. As highlighted by Grubic et al (2020), it is a timely call for studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 on students’ mental health and the need for immediate interventions. Mental illness can affect students’ motivation, concentration, and social interactions as they are the crucial factors for students to succeed in higher education (Unger, 2007). Studies on the effect of COVID-19 and lockdowns on college students in China reported significant undesirable effects on the students’ psychological well-being and high levels of anxiety (Bao et al, 2019; Cao et al, 2020; Wang et al, 2020)
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