Exploring the impact of COVID-19 and anxiety levels on radiography students

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the impact of the latest global pandemic caused by the Corona virus disease also referred to as COVID-19 and the anxiety levels registered on radiography degree students at a university in Malta. Objectives: The study investigated whether the students’ anxiety was affected by COVID-19 and to what extent were the students affected. The study also evaluated whether the demographics such as gender, the course year and members living within the same household of the student, had any impact on radiography students’ experience. Methodology: This study adopted a prospective approach to obtain data of past experiences of students. A non-experimental and cross-sectional design was applied. The target population consisted of all registered students for the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Radiography course at a university in Malta during the academic years when COVID-19 measures were in place (2020-2022). The questionnaire was distributed by the university’s Academic Registrar’s office through the university’s electronic messaging system with a link which directed the participants to the questionnaire’s website. Results: From a total of 49 students, 33 questionnaires were completed. Findings showed that 30.3% (n = 10) of the students suffered severe anxiety, 27.4% (n = 9) experienced moderate anxiety, 18.2% (n = 6) reported mild anxiety levels whilst 24.2% (n = 8) did not suffer significant anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, female students (mean = 13.18) had higher anxiety levels when compared to their male counterparts (mean = 7.75). Moreover, Year 4 students (mean = 12.6) as well as students who lived in households composed of 5 members (n = 9, 27.3%) scored the highest GAD-7 score when compared to other students. Conclusion: Based on the study’s conclusions, a set of recommendations were provided for future studies, educational institutions, and radiography students in other universities. The researcher suggested amongst other recommendations that more services to help students with mental health should be implemented such as counselling for example.