Investigating the Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Worry, and Its Relationship with the Academic Performance of Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran

Abstract

Background: Students’ academic performance and university output can be affected by mental health. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and worry and its relationship with the academic performance of medical students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Iran. Methods: In this descriptive-correlational research, 261 medical students participated in Iran. The standard Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Pennsylvania Standard Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) were used to collect data. Similarly, students’ grade point averages (GPAs) were considered an indicator of their academic performance. The statistical analysis was carried out using IBM’s Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25.0. The level of statistical significance was reported at P < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of students’ worry, depression, anxiety, and stress (moderate to severe levels) was 93.5%, 75.1%, 71.6%, and 50.2%, respectively, revealing the tremendous negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ mental health. Likewise, there was an inverse relationship between students’ anxiety and GPAs. So with the increased anxiety, the students’ GPAs decreased. There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of worry, stress, depression, and anxiety among students and their employment, and it was found that employed students had better mental health. Conclusions: The students’ mental health was unfavorable, threatening their academic performance. The current research offers valuable information to parents, educators, and other stakeholders. Consequently, a combination of efforts by the government, universities, and families or communities is needed to reduce the harmful and destructive effects on students’ mental health. Indeed, the harmful consequences of this prolonged epidemic require further investigations in the future.