Stress, anxiety and depression in dental students: Impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: With the emergence of COVID-19, dental medicine students were faced with a new reality, as a modification of the learning methods in Dentistry colleges happened. The aim of this study was to characterise the possible effects of Covid-19 pandemic in terms of anxiety, depression, and stress among students of dentistry.

Matherials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2020 and May 2021. A total of 1115 participants from a total of approximately 3000 students from the seven university institutions that teach the master's degree in dentistry in Portugal, agreed to participate. An online self-reported questionnaire was applied through Google Forms® platform. The questionnaire was divided in three sections: the students' sociodemographic characterisation, pedagogical aspects, and questions about anxiety, depression, and stress using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-21 Scale.

Results: Normal levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, were found in 41%, 36.7%, and 22.7% of the participants, respectively. Being female was the most significant and strong predictor of anxiety and stress, and for depression, not feeling fulfilled in the course they were in was the most significant variable.

Conclusion: The participants presented high values of anxiety, depression, and stress, during the pandemic state. Gender and not feeling fulfilled in the course were important predictors.

Keywords: DASS-21; SARS-CoV-2; anxiety; dental student; depression; stress.