Radwan Eqbal, Radwan Afnan, Alattar Etimad, Radwan Walaa, Alajez Mohammed
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
Directorate of Education-East Gaza, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
J Public Health Res. 2022 Nov 2;11(4):22799036221132119. doi: 10.1177/22799036221132119. eCollection 2022 Oct.
The widespread of COVID-19 causes serious distress on the mental health of the students during the lockdown period. The present study aimed to identify anxiety levels among students during the COVID-19 crisis.
A cross-sectional web-based survey was carried out among university students aged 18-47 years. The 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms.
Among the 1252 participants, the mean age was 28.82 (±7.28) years and 72.6% were female. Based on the results, 22.0% of the participants had no symptoms of anxiety, 25.2% had mild anxiety, 29.6% moderate anxiety, and 23.2% severe anxiety. Moreover, being a female (OR = 0.480, 95% CI = 0.257-0.704), younger age (OR = 0.359, 95% CI = 0.132-0.586), undergraduate level (OR = 0.493, 95% CI = 0.288-0.698), and stability of monthly income (OR = 0.516, 95% CI = 0.308-0.723) were found to be a protective factor against anxiety suffered by the participants. However, having a COVID-19-infected relative or acquaintance was a risk factor for anxiety (OR = 21.870, 95% CI = 21.870-21.870). The results revealed that the level of anxiety symptoms was positively associated with COVID-19 related stressors such as effects on daily living ( = 0.163, < 0.001), economic stressors ( = 0.153, < 0.001), and educational consequences ( = 0.150, < 0.001), however, social support ( = 0.472, < 0.001) was negatively associated with the anxiety.
The psychological status of university students should be followed during times of health emergencies. It is essential to design a health program for influenced students to assist them to stay resilient throughout perilous situations.
新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）的广泛传播在封锁期间给学生的心理健康造成了严重困扰。本研究旨在确定COVID-19危机期间学生的焦虑水平。
对18至47岁的大学生进行了一项基于网络的横断面调查。使用7项广泛性焦虑障碍量表（GAD-7）评估焦虑症状。
在1252名参与者中，平均年龄为28.82（±7.28）岁，72.6%为女性。根据结果，22.0%的参与者没有焦虑症状，25.2%有轻度焦虑，29.6%有中度焦虑，23.2%有重度焦虑。此外，女性（OR = 0.480，95%CI = 0.257 - 0.704）、年龄较小（OR = 0.359，95%CI = 0.132 - 0.586）、本科水平（OR = 0.493，95%CI = 0.288 - 0.698）和月收入稳定性（OR = 0.516，95%CI = 0.308 - 0.723）被发现是参与者焦虑的保护因素。然而，有感染COVID-19的亲属或熟人是焦虑的危险因素（OR = 21.870，95%CI = 21.870 - 21.870）。结果显示，焦虑症状水平与COVID-19相关应激源呈正相关，如对日常生活的影响（= 0.163，< 0.001）、经济应激源（= 0.153，< 0.001）和教育后果（= 0.150，< 0.001），然而，社会支持（= 0.472，< 0.001）与焦虑呈负相关。
在突发卫生事件期间应关注大学生的心理状况。为受影响的学生设计一个健康计划以帮助他们在危险情况下保持韧性至关重要。
