DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS LEVEL AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA DURING PHASE I AND PHASE II COVID-19 OUTBREAK

Abstract

Millions of individuals throughout the world have been afflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on their psychological well-being. The study aimed to find out the level of stress, depression, and anxiety during phase I and phase II of the COVID-19 outbreak among university students. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic and DASS-21 questionnaire were used in this study. The research comprised 203 university students ranging in age from 19 to 74 years old. Most respondents were females (n=144) and males (n=59). The study enlisted the participation of 178 local and 25 international students. The students were pursuing bachelor's degrees (n=170), diplomas (n=8), master's degrees (n=5), and doctoral degrees (n=20). In the phase I study the stress score was (mean = 12.06, SD = 9.30), while in phase II, the stress score increased to (mean = 13.51, SD = 12.18). Meanwhile, the phase I study the depression score was (mean = 12.48, SD = 11.17), while in phase II, the depression score slightly increased to (mean = 12.85, SD = 12.16). For the phase I study the anxiety score was (mean = 11.26, SD = 10.06), while in phase II, the anxiety score reduced to (mean = 9.53, SD = 10.18). The anxiety level was improved in phase II of COVID-19, however, the depression and stress levels did not show the reductions. A deeper knowledge of stress, depression, and anxiety among university students is required to allow for early intervention and improvement of overall mental health problems among the students.