AUTHOR=Dasor Maryati Md. , Jafridin Anis Aqilah , Azhar Aliatul Afiqah , Asma Alhusna Abang Abdullah , Manivannan Prathap Chandar , Bilal Sobia , Yusof Norashikin , Sabri Budi Aslinie Md. 

TITLE=Emotional Intelligence, Depression, Stress and Anxiety Amongst Undergraduate Dental Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=68

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1604383

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2023.1604383

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> This study aimed to measure depression, anxiety and stress (DAS) among undergraduate dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify key contributing factors of stress and explore the association of emotional intelligence to DAS.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> A multi-centre, cross-sectional study was conducted across four universities in Malaysia. The study administered a questionnaire consisting of the validated Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), Dental Environment Stress (DES), Emotional Intelligence Scale (EI) and 10 statements assessing COVID-19 specific potential stressor factors.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Participants included 791 students across four universities. Abnormal levels of DAS were identified in 60.6%, 66.8% and 42.6% of the study participants, respectively. “Pressure of performance,” “Faculty administration” and “Self-efficacy belief” were the highest rated stressors. On-time graduation was the main COVID-19 specific stressor factor. EI was negatively correlated with DAS scores (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The levels of DAS during COVID-19 pandemic in this population is high. However, participants with higher EI presented with lower DAS suggesting that EI may be a form of coping resource and should be enhanced in this population.</p>