Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 among College Students in Dessie Town, Amhara Region, Ethiopia; Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophic health crisis that affects several nations across the world. Hence, such widespread outbreaks are associated with adverse mental health consequences. However, there is scarce information regarding the psychological impacts of COVID 19 on college students in Ethiopia. Thus, this study investigated the psychological impact of COVID-19 upon students.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 college students who were learning at randomly selected public and private colleges and universities in Dessie town. The sample was proportionally allocated into the four randomly selected colleges and the students were recruited using a systematic random sampling technique with every 6th interval that was obtained from each college’s registrar office. The data analysis was done using SPSS version 23.0. Variables with p-value < 0.25 in the bivariate analysis were entered into the multivariable logistic regression model. Model fitness was checked using the Hosmer-Lemeshow model fit-ness-test. Statistical significant level was declared at a p-value < 0.05.Results: This study involved 408 students with a response rate of 96.6%. In this study, the overall psychological impact of COVID-19 among college students was 16.2% [95% CI: 12.7%, 19.9%]. Moreover, 77.2% of the students had experienced depression disorder. Similarly, 71.8% and 48.5% of students had experienced anxiety and stress disorders respectively. The multivariable logistic regression showed that being female [AOR=1.68, 95% CI 1.09, 2.91], having inadequate practice of prevention measures [AOR=1.74: 95% CI 1.01, 3.02] and living urban residency [AOR=0.76: 95% CI 0.48, 0.94] were the independent predictors of psychological problems among students.Conclusions: The study revealed the level of anxiety, stress, and depression disorders are optimally high among students. Therefore, local governments should develop effective psychological interventions for students. Moreover, it is important to consider the educational enrollment types and academic years of the students during the interventions.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 on the college students in Nepal

“…The findings of our study indicates that female students experienced more stresses and negative emotions as a result of the pandemic, as compared to the male students which might have been possible due to emotional reasons. This is a similar result across various studies including one conducted in United States and Ethiopia (Browning et al 2020;Tadesse et al, 2020). The results also suggested positive association between COVID-19 related financial burden and psychological distress and anxiety symptoms in the students.…”

“…89.5% were dependents that were living with their parents or guardians, with majority having a steady family conducted in Japan (Ueda et al, 2020). A study among college students in Ethiopia advocated that most college students experienced some sort of anxiety or depressive disorder during this situation (Tadesse et al, 2020). Conversely, no enough efforts has been put to study the mental health of students facing this pandemic in Nepal.…”

“…The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in United States suggests that any new disease or uncertainty can be overwhelming and cause strong reactions of panic and worry among adults and children (CDC, 2020). A study on psychological impacts of the pandemic conducted in Ethiopian students suggested that most of the participants (77.2%) were reported to have experienced some psychological impact due to COVID-19 (Tadesse et al, 2020). Anxiety disorders are more likely to occur and deteriorate in the absence of interpersonal communication or social support, especially among college students (Cao et al, 2020) which may have occurred as a result of social distancing and lockdown.…”

The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Graduating Class Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia

“…This finding was lower than studies conducted in Bench-Sheko Zone, South-west Ethiopia (32.5%), Dessie town, Ethiopia (48.5%), United States (71%), China (67.1%), Spain (28.1%), Canada (30%), and Malaysia (28.9%). 14 , 15 , 18 , 21–23 , 25 The possible justification for the lower prevalence of stress in this study might be due to the difference in time of the study. Currently, students can get a variety of information regarding the virus than the information they obtained at the beginning of the pandemic.…”

“… 13 In Ethiopia, two studies reported that the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 21.2% and 77.2%, 27.7% and 71.8%, and 32.5% and 48.5% respectively. 14 , 15 Kinds of literature also indicated that age, sex, history of medical illness, living in a State/Region with a high incidence of COVID-19, family income, having family members infected with the disease, the practice of preventive measures, and residence were determinants of depression, anxiety, and stress. 10 , 12 , 14 , 15 …”