PERCEPTION AND THE ASSOCIATED APPREHENSION STEMMING FROM NOVEL COVID-19 AMONG PAKISTANI STUDENTS

Abstract

Objective: To highlight Pakistani Students anxieties and their attitude towards the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic and to bring forth this data for better policy revisions in the country.

Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted using snowball sampling technique.

Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from 14th May to 16th May 2020.

Methodology: A structured self-administered questionnaire was prepared, based on other surveys conducted in the past. Questionnaire was made available online and shared across social media sites with students.

Results: We found that around 44% of students felt anxious daily due to COVID-19 while 60% of them were not content with the current measures to stop the spread of the virus. 87% of the students feared for the health of their family members while 80% felt anxious for their academic future due to the unprecedent circumstances created by the disease. 53% had decided not to go to hospitals in case of any illness other than covid-19. Approximately 55% believed that the situation was worse than actually being portrayed. Females generally were found to be more anxious than males regarding their health and health of their family members.

Conclusion: There is a dire need of establishing mental health services in educational institutions. Despite the students’ generally correct approach towards curbing the spread of COVID-19, they are still much apprehensive regarding the situation surrounding the pandemic due to the disturbance of their academic and everyday life.