Determinants of Stress among Graduate Students from University of Ghana School of Public Health Amid Covid-19

Abstract

Background: Before COVID-19, stress among university students was common due to academic work, social life, deadlines, exams, financial burdens, and separation anxiety. The pandemic has caused fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, forcing educational institutions to transition from face-to-face to online learning to minimise virus spread. Aim: The study aimed to determine whether fear of COVID-19 virus contamination, online learning, and other factors contributed to the level of stress among graduate students and to examine how students were coping with the stressors. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. This study involved 77 graduate students from the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, selected through stratified and simple random sampling. Data was collected using Google Forms questionnaires and the COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire (CSSQ) to determine stress levels. A p-value < 0.005 was considered significant. Results: The graduate students scored average on the CSSQ. It found that fear of contracting COVID-19 and online learning failed to predict a statistically significant association with stress levels. The main coping mechanisms were strict personal protective measures and reading about COVID-19, its prevention, and its transmission mechanisms. Conclusions: Fear of contracting COVID-19, online learning, and other factors influencing stress failed to predict the level of stress of graduate students amid COVID-19. An overall average stress score was obtained, and students adopted multiple coping strategies to cope with the pandemic