Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown and its relationship with the Resilience among Undergraduate Health Sciences Students

BACKGROUND: • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a rapidly evolving as well as a psychologically distressful situation. • Undergraduate (UG) Health sciences students (HSSs) are prone to depression, anxiety, and stress during such pandemic period due to the negative impact of COVID-19 lockdown on their academics. AIM: • To assess the mental health impact of COVID-19 lockdown and its relationship with the resilience among undergraduate health sciences students. METHOD: • Data were collected from undergraduate health sciences students by using Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale – 21 item (DASS -21) which was used to assess mental health impact of COVID-19 and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) which was used to assess the level of Resilience among study participants. • Data were analyzed by using SPSS 15, Chi-square, Fisher exact and Pearson’s correlation tests. RESULTS: • The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress were 7.6%, 6.3%, and 1.0% respectively. • As regards resilience, 1.3%, 56.7%, and 42.0% had high, normal, and low levels respectively. • Those study participants with high resilience had lower rates depression, anxiety, and stress as the psychological impact of COVID-19 lockdown. CONCLUSION: • Resilience acts as a protective factor against depression, anxiety, and stress due to COVID-19 lockdown. • Hence, programs to strengthen the resilience among undergraduate health sciences students must be the priority which can have preventing value during stressful period of pandemics.