Reopening of Universities for on-campus teaching in COVID- 19 Pandemic: Status of Generalized Anxiety in medical students

The aim is to assess the status of generalized anxiety levels in medical students across the country about resuming on-campus academic activities during the ongoing COVID- 19 Pandemic. The calculated sample size was 580. All undergraduate students of Pakistan Medical Council (PMC) recognized medical and dental colleges of Pakistan were included in the study. Medical/dental students who have completed their academic years at the institutions and/or appearing in the final professional exam were excluded, as they would not be returning to their respective institutions for academic activities. A convenient sampling technique was applied to select the students from both private and public medical and dental colleges of Pakistan. Medical students were approached through social media using an online data collection instrument. Data was collected from a sample of 585 across the country. The data collection instrument included: a standardized and validated Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire along with a few socio-demographic questions. A few questions related to the current Pandemic, based on a literature search, were also added to the online survey questionnaire. These questions included information about their experience of ever being suspected or diagnosed to have COVID 19 infection and about their willingness to commit to precautionary measures while on campus. The total number of questions in the form was twelve, in addition to the basic biodata. The average time to complete the questionnaire was estimated to be 3-5 minutes. The approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Shalamar Medical and Dental College was sought (IRB number). A survey designed on Google Forms was shared with students with an online consent document that included a summary of the purpose of the study, an invitation to the student to participate, and explicit consent of the student. The data was anonymous as no personal or institutional information was collected and the data was kept confidential in the password-protected computers of the investigators. Results showed that 41% of the respondents showed anxiety when assessed on the GAD-7 questionnaire; 67% of students were afraid of getting infected while on campus; 49% preferred online education in present situation; significant associations were found between factors and anxiety scores and respondents’ age. Regression analysis revealed that female students were 1.47 times more anxious and stressed than male students regarding the reopening of universities and continuation of physical education. The impact on mental health of students requires special attention as the anxiety of being on-campus during the pandemic is prevalent.

本研究旨在评估全国范围内医学生在持续的新冠肺炎疫情期间，对于恢复校园学术活动的普遍焦虑水平。经计算，样本量为580。研究纳入了巴基斯坦医学委员会（PMC）认可的所有巴基斯坦医学和牙医学院的本科生。已完成学业或参加最后专业考试的医疗/牙医学生被排除在外，因为他们不会返回各自机构参与学术活动。采用便利抽样技术从巴基斯坦的公立和私立医学及牙医学院中选取学生。通过社交媒体使用在线数据收集工具接触医学学生。来自全国585个样本的数据被收集。数据收集工具包括标准化的、经过验证的普遍焦虑障碍-7（GAD-7）问卷以及一些社会经济人口问题。基于文献检索，在线调查问卷中还添加了一些与当前疫情相关的问题，这些问题包括关于他们是否曾被怀疑或诊断为COVID-19感染的信息，以及他们在校园内采取预防措施意愿的相关信息。表格中的问题总数为十二个，外加基本生物数据。完成问卷的平均时间估计为3-5分钟。Shalamar医学和牙医学院的机构审查委员会（IRB）已获得批准（IRB编号）。基于Google Forms设计的调查问卷，附带了包含研究目的总结、邀请学生参与以及学生明确同意的在线知情同意书。数据是匿名的，因为没有收集任何个人信息或机构信息，且数据被保存在调查人员的密码保护计算机中。结果显示，41%的受访者根据GAD-7问卷评估显示出焦虑；67%的学生害怕在校园内感染；49%的学生在当前情况下更倾向于在线教育；发现因素与焦虑分数及受访者年龄之间存在显著关联。回归分析显示，与男性学生相比，女性学生在关于大学重开和体育教育的焦虑和压力方面高1.47倍。由于在疫情期间在校园内存在的焦虑普遍存在，因此对学生心理健康的影响需要特别关注。