Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Associated Anxiety, Fear and Preparedness Among Healthcare Students at University Teaching Hospital in KSA

PURPOSE: The infectious pandemics are generally accompanied by an often-overlooked impact it has on the psychology of the masses. Healthcare students and workers are expected to develop significant levels of stress as compared to the general population. The significance of this study is to assess the depression, anxiety and stress faced by the healthcare students that may lead to unfavourable effects on learning and their overall psychological health. METHODS: This assessment was done by means of an anonymous, online, closed-ended questionnaire. DASS-21 scale was the primary instrument used for this purpose. The responses were recorded on a 4-point Likert scale. RESULTS: The study had more male students, majority were between 21 and 23 years of age, asymptomatic and almost equal proportion of students from the fraternity of dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and nursing. Dental and pharmacy students were associated with lower stress than medical students whereas nursing students experienced higher anxiety as compared to medical students. Close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases experienced higher stress and anxiety. Daily patient exposure was associated with significantly higher stress anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: Based on the observations of the present study, a support program for psychological training for these health care students should be introduced.