The psychological impact of COVID-19 among the undergraduate dentistry students of Sindh and Baluchistan and how they manage it.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the anxiety among the undergraduate dentistry students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aimed to find out their stress management strategies.
 Methods: A total of 809 undergraduate dentistry students of Sindh and Balochistan contributed to this web-based cross-sectional study. A validated e-questionnaire created using Google form were distributed among the dental college student through social media. Spss 22 was used for statistical analysis.
 Results: Significantly higher number of females and private college students were the participants. Majority of the students are dissatisfied with the online education and no significant difference is present among private and public sector dental college (p >0.05). Moderate to severe level of anxiety among both gender is prevalent. Praying and recitation of the holy book is the most common couping strategy followed by sleeping, talking to friends and family.
 Conclusion:- Psychological sessions should be arranged to improve the mental health of future dental surgeons. Government need to re-evaluate its policies towards the health care system and administration and teaching faculties should focus to upgrade their skill concerning e-learning

Fear of COVID-19 in dentistry students: an evaluation of their knowledge and practices

“…According to the current study, fear is prevalent among dentistry students. Previous studies have reported that the contagious nature of the virus, disruption in studies, especially the online classes, exposure with the suspected patients, and the impact of COVID-19 on dentistry are the factors responsible for fear (12,23). The findings of another study conducted in Pakistan targeting the health care professionals also mentioned that the anxiety of a family member to getting an infection is high compared to oneself, according to the current study's findings (9).…”

“…Children and older peopleisolated from their friends and, in some cases, their families, which influences their mental and physical well-being (10). Several studies have reported the psychological impact of pandemics on the general public, patients and their families, doctors, medical staff, or other healthcare professionals (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). With the increase in the discovery of different genetic variants of the virus, the current pandemic is nowhere near its end.…”