Psychological Distress among Bangladeshi Dental Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Psychological sufferings are observed among dental students during their academic years, which had been intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study assessed the levels and identified factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping experienced by dental undergraduate students in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross sectional online survey was conducted during October-November, 2021. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used in order to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Results: A total of 327 students participated; the majority (72%) were 19–23 years old and females (75%). One in five participants were infected with COVID-19 and 15% reported contact with COVID-19 cases. Negative financial impact (AOR 3.72, 95% CIs 1.28–10.8), recent or past COVID-19 infection, and contact with COVID-19 cases were associated with higher levels of psychological distress; but being a third year student (0.14, 0.04–0.55) and being satisfied about current social life (0.11, 0.03–0.33) were associated with lower levels of psychological distress. Being a third year (0.17, 0.08–0.39) and a fourth year student (0.29, 0.12–0.71) were associated with lower levels of fear. Health care service use and feeling positive about life were associated with medium to high resilience coping. Conclusions: This study identified dental students in Bangladesh who were at higher risk of psychological distress, fear and coping during the ongoing pandemic. Development of a mental health support system within dental institutions should be considered in addition to the academic and clinical teaching.

Psychological distress facing the COVID-19 pandemic in dental interns from the Peruvian capital: A cross-sectional study under a multivariable regression model

“…Possibly, this situation generated a certain type of psychological distress since they had to go out into the streets to seek sustenance under risky conditions such as coming into contact with infected people, putting their family members at risk of cross-infection. Similarly, our findings are consistent with the study by Sabrina et al ( 46 ) who reported that 58.1% of dental students said that COVID-19 had a negative impact on their financial situation, causing them greater levels of distress. According to Viertiö et al ( 58 ) and Ahnkist et al ( 62 ), financial difficulties in covering household costs appear to have negative effects on mental health.…”

“…In addition, trait neuroticism (being anxious and emotionally vulnerable) has been reported to be more common in women ( 42 ), as reported by other studies such as Shrestha et al ( 43 ), Hakami et al ( 44 ), and Ali et al ( 45 ) who reported that women had a higher risk of developing psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, Sabrina et al ( 46 ) and Gutiérrez et al ( 47 ) indicated that women tend to show greater concern for the safety of their parents and relatives, and the study by Khanagar et al ( 25 ) indicates that female students are more expressive with their emotions, while male students tend to avoid expressing their feelings. On the other hand, in relation to irritability, our findings corroborate with those reported by Zhang et al ( 48 ) who indicated that the general irritability of women is greater than that of men.…”

Practicing dentistry in the age of COVID‐19: Perception changes due to the new PPE standards

“…Recent dental school graduates are entering the workforce less prepared than their earlier counterparts as credits needed to graduate were adjusted or scaled back 12 . Students who entered the clinic at the start of the pandemic were also distressed by the loss of clinical experience due to the reduced clinic hours 13–15 . Still, this disruption caused by the pandemic did not appear to greatly deter dental students from their goal to become clinicians.…”

The influence of religious coping on family resilience in communicating and solving problems during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Coping religiosity has a strategic influence on stabilizing family resilience as a form of managing public health crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic such as job loss, lack of social support, and mental health problems due to domestic violence (4)(5)(6). Stress conditions are also caused by headlines dominated by news about COVID-19 (7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Responding to this situation requires preparedness and critical response, effective communication, and being proactive, polite, imaginative, innovative, creative, and professional as a problem-solving strategy (12,13).…”