The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS)

BACKGROUND: The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many student populations learning online in lockdown. While the mental health consequences of lockdown are increasingly understood, the core features of ‘cabin fever’ – the experience of lockdown – are poorly described. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey of 649 undergraduate medicine and health sciences students. Item content was developed based on current literature and input from student representatives. RESULTS: Mokken scaling identified seven questions that together formed a strongly unidimensional scale which comprised two domains: social isolation/cabin fever and demotivation / demoralisation. Scale scores were significantly associated with depression, self-rated mental health, impaired study efficacy and doomscrolling. CONCLUSIONS: The adverse effects of lockdown on student wellbeing appear to be driven to an important extent by an experience of isolation and demotivation that corresponds to narrative descriptions of cabin fever. In the foreseeable event of future pandemics, these experiences are a promising target for health promotion in students studying in lockdown. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-022-03858-x.