Investigating stress, depression, and anxiety levels in students at medical universities in southeastern Iran during the covid-19 epidemic in 2020

Psychological problems in the general public and among students become common following the epidemic of infectious diseases such as Covid-19. This study investigated the rates of stress, anxiety, and depression and the factors affecting them during the epidemic of Covid-19 disease in students at medical universities in southeastern Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020. A total of 390 students were selected through convenience sampling from medical universities in south-eastern Iran (Kerman, Bandar Abbas, Zahedan, and Birjand) as a sample size. The instrument used in this study was a DASS-21 questionnaire to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software. The mean age of participants was 21.73±4.03. The mean scores for depression, anxiety, and stress were 13.95 ± 10.23, 11.38 ± 08.92, and 19.15 ± 09.67, respectively. Overall, 62.56% of students suffered from depression, 62.82% from anxiety, and 62.56% from stress. Among the demographic variables, age and education had a significant relationship with all three subscales (p <0.001), and marital status had a significant relationship with the levels of anxiety and stress. The Covid-19 epidemic was recognized as a reason for higher rates of depression, stress, and anxiety in students at medical universities in southeastern Iran. Appropriate planning during an epidemic of infectious diseases for prevention and treatment interventions in the field of mental health promotion for medical students seems necessary.