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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Anxiety and Stress Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1466026

Health anxiety during a global pandemic: a comparison of medical and non-medical students in Mashhad, Iran

Provisionally accepted
Mahsa Nahidi Mahsa Nahidi 1Mohammad Reza Fayyazi Bordbar Mohammad Reza Fayyazi Bordbar 1Hanieh Mohammadi Hanieh Mohammadi 2Negar Morovatdar Negar Morovatdar 3Maryam Emadzadeh Maryam Emadzadeh 4Hassan Mirshafiei Hassan Mirshafiei 2*
  • 1 Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Ibn-e-Sina Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
  • 3 Clinical Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
  • 4 Clinical Research Development Unit, Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mental health worldwide, especially among healthcare professionals, including medical students, who were more exposed to pandemic-related stressors. However, health anxiety within this vulnerable group remains understudied. Objective: This study aimed to assess and compare health anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety between medical and non-medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify factors associated with these forms of anxiety. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited Iranian medical and non-medical students studying in Mashhad via convenience sampling using messaging apps. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire on demographic and social factors, along with the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), with higher scores reflecting greater symptom severity. Statistical analyses evaluated group differences, correlations between HAI and CDAS scores, and the influence of confounding variables. Results: A total of 305 students participated, with 176 medical students (57.7%) and 129 non-medical students (42.3%). The majority (92.7%) reported mild COVID-19 anxiety, while 3.2% reported moderate and 0.98% reported severe COVID-19 anxiety. COVID-19 anxiety did not significantly differ between medical and non-medical students (P = 0.439). However, medical students reported significantly higher fear of illness consequences than non-medical students (P = 0.037), while no significant differences were found in susceptibility to disease (P = 0.299) or general health concern (P = 0.156). HAI and CDAS scores were significantly correlated (r = 0.30, P < 0.001). Based on logistic regression, Female gender (OR = 4.55, P = 0.002) was associated with susceptibility to health anxiety, while studying a non-medical major was associated with lower health anxiety (OR = 0.01, P < 0.001) and lower COVID-19 anxiety (OR = 0.05, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Mild COVID-19 anxiety was prevalent among both medical and non-medical students, with comparable levels of health anxiety across the groups. These findings suggest the need for targeted mental health support among students during pandemic conditions.

    Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, Health anxiety, Medical students, Mental Health

    Received: 17 Jul 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Nahidi, Fayyazi Bordbar, Mohammadi, Morovatdar, Emadzadeh and Mirshafiei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hassan Mirshafiei, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

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