Investigating mental health among Malaysian university students during Covid-19 pandemic

Investigating mental health among Malaysian university students during Covid-19 pandemic. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 7 (1). pp. 251-260. ISSN 2504-8562 (2022)



Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown have led to an increasing number of mental health issues in Malaysia. The demands of living during the pandemic have caused a rising number of university students to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health problems. A survey done by National Health and Morbidity 2015 found that the prevalence of mental health problems
among adults in Malaysia has increased from 10.7% in 1996, to 11.2% in 2006, to 29.2% in 2015. Moreover, one in 10 individuals in 2011 to one in five in 2016 cases reported are among Malaysian students. Thus, the study explores the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among
university students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted the DASS-21 inventory to measure the mental health of the students during the pandemic COVID-19 that assesses the depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. Data obtained from the 355 Malaysian university students showed that most of the respondents were sometimes feeling depressed by having negative feelings (44.2%)”, and unable to become enthusiastic (44.5%)”, feeling anxious where they were close to panic (33.8%)” and dryness of their mouth (31.5%)”, and feeling stressed where they found themselves getting agitated (40.3%)” and difficult to relax (40.8%)”. The findings may suggest that further research is proposed for the inclusion of successful coping strategies used by the students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research should also develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of university students.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Mental health, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, University students
Taxonomy: By Subject > Medicine > Psychiatry
Local Content Hub: Subjects > Medicine
Depositing User: Hazrul Amir Tomyang (Puncak Alam)
Date Deposited: 28 Mar 2022 09:11
Last Modified: 29 Mar 2022 05:25
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