Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study among Palestinian students (10–18 years)

BMC Psychology

Eqbal Radwan¹  Digvijay Pandey²  Afnan Radwan³  Walaa Radwan⁴ 

[1] Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine;Directorate of Education-East Gaza, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Gaza Strip, Palestine;Department of Technical Education, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul, Kalam Technical University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, India;Faculty of Education, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine;Faculty of Education, Ummah Open University, Gaza Strip, Palestine;

关键词: COVID-19;    Stress;    Depression;    Anxiety;    DASS-21 scale;    Gaza Strip;    Palestine;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40359-021-00688-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic considers a threat to students’ well-being and mental health. The current descriptive cross-sectional study aims to identify psychological distress among school students during the lockdown period.MethodsThis study was carried out in a sample of 420 primary and secondary school students from June 10 to July 13, 2020, in the Gaza Strip in Palestine. Data was collected using an online questionnaire that included informed consent, socio-demographic questions, and a psychometric scale (DASS-21).ResultsThe results revealed that most students experienced moderate to severe levels of anxiety (89.1%) and depression (72.1%), whereas less than half of them (35.7%) experienced moderate to severe stress. Stress, anxiety and depression scores were significantly different across gender, age groups, family size, and family's economic status. The results showed that gender (β = -0.174, p < 0.001), age (β = −0.155, p = 0.001) and economic level of family (β = −0.147, p = 0.002) were negative predictors correlated with stress. Family size (β = 0.156, p = 0.001) played a positive role in stress. It was found that gender (β = −0.105, p = 0.031), age (β = −0.135, p = 0.006) and economic level of family (β = −0.136, p = 0.005) were negative predictors correlated with anxiety, whereas family size (β = 0.139, p = 0.004) played a positive role in anxiety. For depression, gender (β = −0.162, p = 0.001), age (β = −0.160, p = 0.001) and economic level of family (β = −0.131, p = 0.007) were negative predictors correlated with depression, whereas family size (β = −0.133, p = 0.006) was found to be a positive predictor. Concerns about the influence of COVID-19 on economic, education, and daily life were positively correlated to the levels of depression, anxiety and stress, whereas the availability of social support was negatively correlated.ConclusionThe development of a health protocol for influenced students is urgently needed to maintain them remain resilient during dangerous times.

【 授权许可】

CC BY