Publication:

Effect of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of pre-medical students of Maharashtra

Background The worldwide rapid increase of infected cases of COVID-19 has created a sense of uncertainty and anxiety about what is going to happen. The Government of India ordered the complete lockdown in nation. As a result the pre-medical exam has been postponed with no definite date. It has also lead to unfavourable effects on the learning and psychological health of students.

Aim To evaluate and analyse the prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among pre-medical students of Maharashtra using DASS-21.

Methods It was an online survey which was conducted using Google Forms with link sent using WhatsApp. A standard DASS-21 questionnaire was used for the study. The survey questionnaire would take around 3-4 min to complete. Total 324 responses were received by the stipulated time.

Results The study showed that the people of age group less than 20 years were more depressed in this lockdown crisis as compared to those of age above 20 years. In the present study, 44 respondents of age less than 20 years had very high levels of anxiety while in the age group of above 20 there were 25 such respondents. The relationship between anxiety level and age was statistically significant. When compared on the stress scale it was found that females of age less than 20 years were under maximum stress.

Conclusion Index survey suggested that the pandemic affected the preparation of the respondents to a great extent and affected their mental status negatively.