The Effects Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health Of Athletic Therapy Students In Ireland

Abstract

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of Athletic Therapy students in Ireland. METHODS: An online survey using google forms was sent by email in February 2021 to undergraduate students undertaking an Athletic Therapy Degree in Ireland. The questionnaire consisted of four sections. Section 1 asked demographic based questions relating to participants’ age, gender, college, and year of study. Section 2 and 3 contained two validated, widely used mental health scales, which measure depression levels (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9 ≥ 10) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD-7 ≥ 7) in the students.Section 4 consisted of a series of closed and open questions based on the students present academic, health and lifestyle concerns. Data was analysed descriptively and using a one way ANOVA with statistical significance set at an alpha level of p < 0.05. RESULTS:A total of 184 responses were gathered (61% females, 39% male) with an age range of 18-50 yrs (mean 21.1 yrs, SD 1.7). Of the responses, 76.6% participants registered some degree of depression; mild (40.8%), moderate (22.3%), moderately severe (10.3%) and severe (3.3%). 57.1% of participants reported some degree of anxiety; mild (33.2%), moderate (16.5%) and severe (7.1%). The one-way ANOVA showed that gender had a significant effect on the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores (p < 0.01) with the mean score for females being 2.3 and 2.1 times higher than males. 72% of participants reported that their stress levels have increased since the pandemic. 58% reported academic concerns such as; limited opportunity to master essential practical skills, difficulties with online classes, uncertainty around college and an increased workload as being the main issues. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study indicate that athletic therapy students experienced high levels of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, higher than reported in some of the literature for non-Irish based university students. The results of this study would suggest that this cohort might require psychological support during the pandemic.