Prevalence And Risk Factors of Anxiety and Depression among University Students and Employees During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aim: To determine the prevalence and perceived risk factors of anxiety and depression among employees and students at the Mariano Marcos State University during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine if significant differences exist between groups on the identified variables. Method: This was a descriptive-comparative study that used a survey consisting of the screening questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Perceived Risk Factors of Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire (PRFAD). The developed, validated, and pilot-tested questionnaire was administered to 212 students and 114 employees during the second semester of 2020-2021. Descriptive statistics and T-test were used for analyses using p<0.05 as the significance level. Results: Results showed that most students have mild severity of anxiety and depression while employees have none to minimal. Cultural factors like the adverse working environment, social inequalities and exclusion, and adverse media influences were identified as moderate risk factors in anxiety and depression. Moreover, there were significant differences in the prevalence of anxiety and depression between students and employees and between teaching and non-teaching employees. There were higher self-reported anxiety and depression among students than employees and among teaching employees than non-teaching employees. Conclusion and Implications: With a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression among students, higher education institutions must strengthen their student welfare services. Also, employees' mental health needs must be considered by providing services to alleviate their anxiety and depression. A holistic and comprehensive policy on mental health promotion should be implemented to improve the mental health status of students and employees.