Prevalence of anxiety and depression among Palestinian university students: a cross-sectional study during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background Anxiety and depression are more common among university students than in the general population. It is reported internationally that COVID-19 pandemic increased prevalence of anxiety students. This study aimed to measure Palestine explore association between during pandemic. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based descriptive was carried out on The Generalized Disorder Scale (GAD-7) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale were used evaluate depression, respectively. Chi-square risk factors associated with levels depression. evaluated using Pearson correlation. Results total 1049 enrolled study. them 55.8%, 26.4%, 9.8% severe, moderate, mild symptoms significantly variable based students’ field year study, sleeping period, smoking, food source. 16.1%, 30.7%, 36.1% anxiety, gender, place residence. strong positive correlation observed CES-D GAD-7 scores ( R = 0.707). Conclusion Palestinian suffer from elevated necessitates need strategies by stakeholders take immediate appropriate interventions.