AN INVESTIGATION OF STRESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION STATES OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introduction: This study was planned to investigate stress, anxiety, and depression states of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: This research was designed as a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The study group comprised students who were studying at the university, were over the age of 18 years, and agreed to participate in the research. An online survey was introduced to 540 university students (sample). Dependent variables were stress, anxiety, and depression. Independent variables included sociodemographic variables, chronic disease, having acquaintances with a diagnosis of COVID-19, presence of an at-risk individual in the home, participants' thoughts regarding the preventive measures, their hopes for the future, feeling rested upon awakening, and types of anxiety and problems experienced during the COVID-19 period. An introductory information form developed by the research authors was used along with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis VA, Post-Hoc Analysis, Odds Ratio (OR) and The Point-Biserial Correlation Coefficient tests were used in the study. Results: The majority of students were women (73.2%); undergraduate students comprised the majority of the sample (64.9%); more than half (54.8%) were ages 20-21 years; and more than a third (34.6%) had a low or very low-income level. Nearly all the students (96.3%) stayed with their families during the pandemic, and one-fifth lived in villages. Related to their situations during the pandemic, most university students reported depression (79.7%), anxiety (61.4%), and stress (68.6%). Sex (p=.001), income (p=.001), chronic disease (p=.001), presence of an at-risk individual (persons with a chronic disease, a healthcare worker, etc.) (p=.025), lack of hope for the future (p=.001), and feeling unwell after sleep (p=.001) were found to be factors affecting the students' DASS-21 total score. A positive correlation was found between future anxiety and depression (rpb=.088, p=.035) as well as future anxiety and stress (rpb=.105, p=.012). Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant psychosocial effect on university students.