Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown instigated serious mental health conditions. So far, the UAE data on mental health problems due to this pandemic outbreak is still scarce. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalent psychological difficulties experienced by university students, faculty members, and staff during COVID-19 lockdown and the coping strategies used.Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 737 participants using an online electronic survey. Participants included students, faculty members, and staff from universities in the UAE. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to measure general distress, Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ-16) was used to measure worry, and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-48) was administered to measure coping strategies used by participants during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Data were collected during May to June 2020.Results: The results indicated that 60.4% of students, 57.4% of the faculty members, and 52.3% of the staff experienced mild psychiatric problems. About 32.9% of students, 33.7% of the faculty members, and 25% of the staff experienced high levels of worry during the COVID-19 lockdown. Changes in eating patterns, worsening chronic health problems, change in sleep patterns, and concentration difficulties were reported. Furthermore, significant differences were observed in worry and coping strategies among participants. Women use more avoidance and emotion-focused coping compared to men.Conclusion: It was concluded that COVID-19 lockdown has negatively impacted university faculty, staff, and students in terms of health behavior, psychological and physical health.

<p>The cognitive approaches of obsessive-compulsive disorder consider negative appraisal of beliefs and thoughts to be the core factor for the onset of this disorder. The present study was aimed at investigating the relationship between compulsions and worries (anxious thoughts), and between compulsions and academic performance in a sample of 461 university students aged between 18 and 30 years (mean age=21.2 years). Male participants represented 31.2% of the total sample while female participants represented 68.8% of the sample. The Anxious Thoughts Inventory and the Compulsion Checklist were administered. Results showed that worries were positively related to compulsions. Meta-worry was the strongest predictor of compulsions. First-degree relatives of individuals with history of obsessive-compulsive symptoms significantly reported more symptoms of compulsions compared to their counterparts. Academic performance (GPA) was not related to compulsion but it was related to worry. Further, older participants expressed less social worry and less compulsive symptoms compared to younger ones. The results were discussed in relation to relevant theoretical framework and in light of findings of previous studies. This study will provide researchers, practitioners and readers with an understanding of the relationship between worry, academic performance and compulsions in this part of the world.</p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong>: Compulsions, Meta-worry, Social Worry, Health Worry, Academic Performance

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