Stress, anxiety and depression in dental students – impact of SARS‐CoV‐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.

Objective

This study aim was to characterize the possible effects of Covid‐19 pandemic in terms of anxiety, depression, and stress among Dentistry students.

Methodology

This cross‐sectional study was conducted between October 2020 and May 2021. A total of 1115 participants from a universe of approximately 3000 students from the 7 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 3 sections: the students' sociodemographic characterization, pedagogical aspects, and questions about anxiety, depression, and stress using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress‐21 Scale (DASS‐21).

Results

Normal levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, were found in 41%, 36.7%, 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.

Conclusions

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.