Prevalence of depression among Science students during the COVID-19 pandemic period in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Introduction: The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of depression among science students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A survey-based study was conducted on 521 science students at Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), during the course of the semester.Results: Showed that the Most students were female (62.19%). Sadness symptoms were observed among 59.69% of the students. We found a 77.74% overall prevalence of depression among students. Most individuals reported moderate BDI (25.34%), but extremely severe BDI was also reported in 7.29% of individuals. The BDI scores were highly significantly correlated with gender, education, and field of specialty (< 0.001) based on different statistical tests. BDI scores were significantly associated with number of the demographic and academic variables (p < 0.05).Discussion: The study found significant symptoms of depression among students who displayed characteristics of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, students should undergo psychological counseling during difficult pandemic periods to prevent depression and mental stress.