Perceived Stress Levels in Pakistani Dental Students During COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the stress levels of Pakistani dental students through an established stress assessment tool during lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic.
 Materials and methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study using a self-administered, voluntarily filled online questionnaire was conducted on undergraduate dental students from first to fourth (Final) years of dental institutes across Pakistan, accredited by the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC). Study questionnaire contained questions on demographic details; gender, province of college, province of residence and perceived stress scale of 10 questions. It also contained questions about the presence of any symptoms relevant to a particular type of stress. i.e. emotional stress, physical (body related) stress, behavioral stress and cognitive stress. Descriptive statistics were calculated for gender, residence of participants, location of institutes, levels of stress and symptoms signifying a particular stress type. Multiple variables of each stress type were compared with categories of perceived stress scores using chi square test.
 Results: 706 dental students responded. 53.5% were going through high stress levels, 43.4% were going through moderate stress levels while 2.9% were having low stress levels. Majority of the participants with moderate and high stress levels were from institutions located in provinces with increased number of COVID-19 positive cases. Among moderate and highly stressed participants, more than 68% were females. A significant number of dental students reported symptoms pertaining to emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral stress due to the COVID-19 disease.
 Conclusion: Majority of Pakistani dental students are suffering from moderate to high stress levels specially in provinces with a higher number of COVID-19 affected reported cases. There are considerable effects on emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral states of Pakistani dental students due to the spread of this disease.

WITHDRAWN: Prevalence and factors associated with Perceived stress among the general population in Pakistan during Corona-virus disease 2019

“…In one of such studies almost 68.5% healthcare workers dealing with COVID patients reported moderate to severe stress (22). Almost 53.5% of dental students were found to be suffering from severe stress in another study (23). To the best of our knowledge, there is hardly any literature available to evidence perceived stress levels of the general population of Pakistan amidst the rst wave of COVID-19, however considering alarming levels of moderate to severe stress in students and healthcare professionals, it is likely to speculate high levels of stress in the general population as well.…”

Perceived Stress Among Chinese Medical Students Engaging in Online Learning in Light of COVID-19

“…48 However, a higher proportion was reported in dental students from Pakistan (96.9%) and nursing students (96.01%) in Pune. 46 , 49 The potential reasons for such variability may be that (1) the severity and isolation modes of COVID-19 prevention and control vary during the different survey times and locations and (2) the characteristics of the investigation population are different. For instance, studies revealed that dental and nursing students experienced higher PS due to early practice stage.…”

The Psychological Impact Analysis of Novel COVID-19 Pandemic in Health Sciences Students: A Global Survey

“…Studies have been conducted in Pakistan 13 14 and Saudi Arabia 15 to assess stress levels in dental and medical students. However, there is scarce literature regarding the psychological well-being of health sciences students.…”