Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.

Mental health problems in students are considered a public health challenge. We assessed the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) with the DASS-21, as well as associated factors, among university students in Bangladesh early in the COVID-19 outbreak. We hypothesized high levels of DAS...

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Main Authors: Md Saiful Islam, Md Safaet Hossain Sujan, Rafia Tasnim, Md Tajuddin Sikder, Marc N Potenza, Jim van Os
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2020-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245083
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spelling doaj-3b10e598b2c747c180a7c779372b48cf2021-03-04T12:45:14ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032020-01-011512e024508310.1371/journal.pone.0245083Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.Md Saiful IslamMd Safaet Hossain SujanRafia TasnimMd Tajuddin SikderMarc N PotenzaJim van OsMental health problems in students are considered a public health challenge. We assessed the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) with the DASS-21, as well as associated factors, among university students in Bangladesh early in the COVID-19 outbreak. We hypothesized high levels of DAS and their associations with previously reported factors (e.g., poor sleep, lack of exercise, heavy internet use) and those linked to disadvantage (e.g., low monthly family income). We also enquired about participants' satisfaction with their pursuit of their academic studies while living under COVID-19 restrictions. An internet-based survey was conducted during the month of April 2020, involving 3,122 Bangladeshi university students aged 18 to 29 years (59.5% males; mean age 21.4±2 years). Prevalence estimates of depression, anxiety and stress were, respectively, 76.1%, 71.5% and 70.1% for at least mild symptoms, 62.9%, 63.6% and 58.6% for at least moderate symptoms, 35.2%, 40.3%, and 37.7% for at least severe symptoms and 19.7%, 27.5% and 16.5% for at least very severe symptoms. The present estimates of DAS were more prevalent than in previous pre-COVID-19 studies among Bangladeshi university students. Regression analyses with DASS-21-score as a dependent variable revealed associations with factors mostly as hypothesized. The largest effect size on DAS symptoms was related to students' satisfaction with their academic studies during the pandemic. As this survey used cross-sectional and self-reported methods, causality cannot be inferred. Mental health monitoring of students attempting to cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak may be useful and feasible.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245083
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Md Saiful Islam
Md Safaet Hossain Sujan
Rafia Tasnim
Md Tajuddin Sikder
Marc N Potenza
Jim van Os
spellingShingle Md Saiful Islam
Md Safaet Hossain Sujan
Rafia Tasnim
Md Tajuddin Sikder
Marc N Potenza
Jim van Os
Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Md Saiful Islam
Md Safaet Hossain Sujan
Rafia Tasnim
Md Tajuddin Sikder
Marc N Potenza
Jim van Os
author_sort Md Saiful Islam
title Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.
title_short Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.
title_full Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.
title_fullStr Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.
title_full_unstemmed Psychological responses during the COVID-19 outbreak among university students in Bangladesh.
title_sort psychological responses during the covid-19 outbreak among university students in bangladesh.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2020-01-01
description Mental health problems in students are considered a public health challenge. We assessed the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) with the DASS-21, as well as associated factors, among university students in Bangladesh early in the COVID-19 outbreak. We hypothesized high levels of DAS and their associations with previously reported factors (e.g., poor sleep, lack of exercise, heavy internet use) and those linked to disadvantage (e.g., low monthly family income). We also enquired about participants' satisfaction with their pursuit of their academic studies while living under COVID-19 restrictions. An internet-based survey was conducted during the month of April 2020, involving 3,122 Bangladeshi university students aged 18 to 29 years (59.5% males; mean age 21.4±2 years). Prevalence estimates of depression, anxiety and stress were, respectively, 76.1%, 71.5% and 70.1% for at least mild symptoms, 62.9%, 63.6% and 58.6% for at least moderate symptoms, 35.2%, 40.3%, and 37.7% for at least severe symptoms and 19.7%, 27.5% and 16.5% for at least very severe symptoms. The present estimates of DAS were more prevalent than in previous pre-COVID-19 studies among Bangladeshi university students. Regression analyses with DASS-21-score as a dependent variable revealed associations with factors mostly as hypothesized. The largest effect size on DAS symptoms was related to students' satisfaction with their academic studies during the pandemic. As this survey used cross-sectional and self-reported methods, causality cannot be inferred. Mental health monitoring of students attempting to cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak may be useful and feasible.
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245083
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