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. 2023 May 12:16:1797-1810.
doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S409632. eCollection 2023.

Assessing Anxiety and Depression Among Students Post-COVID-19: Exploring Associating Factors

Iman A Basheti  1   2 , Thafer Yusif Assaraira  3 , Nathir M Obeidat  4 , Fawwaz Al-Abed Al-Haq  5 , Mashhoor Refai  6
Affiliations

Assessing Anxiety and Depression Among Students Post-COVID-19: Exploring Associating Factors

Iman A Basheti et al. Psychol Res Behav Manag. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on global mental health including anxiety and depression rates, many factors affected the vulnerability to these psychological conditions amongst university students.

Aim: To explore the level of anxiety and depression of university students living in Jordan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted in which an electronic survey was created and distributed, university students residing in Jordan participated in the study.

Results: A total of 1241 students were enrolled in the study. The mean anxiety score among males and females was (9.68 (SD = 4.10)) and (10.46 (SD = 4.14)), respectively. 42.1% of males had "abnormal" anxiety score compared to 48.4% females. The mean depression score among males (7.77 (SD = 4.31)) was similar to that for the females (7.64 (SD = 4.14)), and 26.0% of the males had "abnormal" depression score compared to 22.6% of the females. Factors affecting anxiety scores included younger age, being a female, taking medication/s, or drinking two cups of coffee or more a day.

Conclusion: With 46% and 24% of students suffering from abnormal anxiety and depression respectively, it is important for education policy makers to take immediate measures to allocate students in need of psychological assessment and help to deliver suitable interventions.

Keywords: Jordan; anxiety; depression; psychological assessment; students.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Interpretation of students’ (n = 1241) proportions of those with normal vs borderline abnormal vs abnormal symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparing the anxiety and depression mean scores of male (n = 494, 39.8%) and female (n= 747, 60.2%) participant students.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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