The Impact of Covid-19 on Saudi Arabian Female Students: An Application of the CES-D Depression Scale

Siddiqua Aamir; Carmen Winkel

doi:10.36941/jesr-2021-0003

Authors

Siddiqua Aamir Core Humanities & Social Science, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Carmen Winkel Core Humanities & Social Science, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2021-0003

Keywords:

Covid-19, Depression, Female Students, Online-Learning

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2) is a new beta coronavirus that was identified as the trigger of COVID-19 disease in early 2020. Our study designed to survey the female undergraduate students at a private university in Saudi Arabia to assess the degree of psychological impact during the initial stages of the lockdown. During the first weeks of the outbreak in Saudi Arabia and the government-initiated lockdown, we conducted an online survey with 400 female undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia. The psychological impact was assessed by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Our study shows that over the four weeks students showed clearly a change in the overall mental health and mood of our students.

Received: 24 September 2020 / Accepted: 23 December 2020 / Published: 17 January 2021