Immediate Psychological Responses & Associated Demographic Factors during the Lockdown Period of the COVID- 19 Outbreak among the Bangladeshi University Students

Abstract

The massive spread of COVID-19 has put people’s standard of living in jeopardy. The mental health status of the students has been a matter of concern throughout the lockdown. The study aims to identify university students’ immediate psychological responses as an index of mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown period and to investigate demographic predictors of their mental health outcomes. 167 students responded to a web-based cross-sectional survey that included the IES-R and DASS-21BV in addition to demographic data and relevant COVID-19 questions. 49.2% of the respondents reported stress, 54.6% reported anxiety, 64.2% reported depression ranging from mild to extremely severe, based on DASS-21, and 68.9% of respondents rated having a mild to severe psychological impact from the lockdown on the IES-R. Age was significantly associated with the DASS stress subscale (B = -.159, AR2 =.019, 95% CI: -1.023 to -.021). The study ascertains the commonness of the psychological impact of the lockdown period of the COVID-19 outbreak on university students, necessitating immediate intervention to cope with the unprecedented situation and minimize future mental health problems.