Self-Report Measurement of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic in Senior Undergraduate Dental Students

Gül Keskin

doi:10.1590/pboci.2021.102

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on senior undergraduate dental students' psychological health by measuring depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Material and Methods: 259 fifth-year dental students participated in this study, including 156 females (60.2%) and 103 males (39.8%), aged 20–25. An online-based questionnaire was created, including a few questions about learning, post-graduation challenges, and fear of the virus exposure. Students were asked to define their acute anxiety state by visual facial anxiety scale (VFAS) and depression, anxiety, and stress levels by The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42). All data were analyzed statistically. Results: Participants stated online learning platforms were insufficient for clinical competence (91.5%), the COVID-19 pandemic changed post-graduation career perspectives (29.3%), and they feared exposure to COVID-19 while performing their profession (82.6%). Acute anxiety levels of the students were recorded as 95.4% mild to highest. Mild to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress scores of the participants were 82.1%, 79.6%, and 72.9%, respectively. Higher mean values for all depression, anxiety, and stress parameters were obtained in females than males (p<0.05). Conclusion: Data showed that the psychological health of senior undergraduate dental students had been affected adversely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is an infectious disease that poses complex challenges for medical communities, research, and global public health by the emergence and rapid increase in the number of cases [1]
When the individual activities of the participants to support learning in the COVID-19 academy were questioned, it was reported that 29.7% of them studied from the sourcebooks
The obtained data by this study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected students' postgraduate career perspectives by 29.3% and a considerable part of participants (33.2%) stated as undecided

Summary

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is an infectious disease that poses complex challenges for medical communities, research, and global public health by the emergence and rapid increase in the number of cases [1]. The challenges in teaching and learning by this unprecedented situation have been based on changing college students' lives, such as adjusting to new living circumstances, leaving campus, and adapting to online learning platforms Courses such as artistic performance, labs, and/or practicums, including high levels of interaction and hands-on experiences, have been affected more adversely [4]. The major disadvantage for senior undergraduate dental students is that clinical training cannot be sustained by direct patient care, which is a key component of the dental curriculum This creates some concerns for students who are about to graduate in terms of professional knowledge and skills and in terms of performing the profession after graduation

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion