A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study- Knowledge, behavior and psychological change among Medical and Non-medical Students in Jordan during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide, and it was officially declared to be a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality and has impacted the lives of the global populations. Aim: To compare the knowledge of medical and non-medical students at Jordanian universities in issues related to COVID-19 and to evaluate the psychological and behavioural changes in Jordanian students’ lives following directly/indirectly exposure to the COVID-19. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional online survey was sent to a convenience sample in Jordanian universities through social media (Facebook and WhatsApp) between 16th of June and 30th of June 2020. The questionnaire was designed to collect the demographic, participant’s source of information regarding COVID-19, knowledge on COVID-19, the psychological consequences of COVID-19, impact of COVID-19 on participant’s behaviour. The final version of the questionnaire was further tested for content validity by experts in the field. Chi-square test was used to find significant differences between the two groups. Results:  A total of 912 participants completed the survey, with 507(55.6%) being medical students and 405(44.4%) being non-medical students. About 90% of students believed in the existence of corona virus (n=817), but not in the seriousness of the infection (n=85, 9.3%). The majority 82.2% (n=750) agreed that the fake news on social media caused panic situations. A total of 275 medical students avoided following news as compared to 187 non-medical students, and the difference was statistically significant (p-value = 0.003). There were 438 medical students and 338 non medical students who avoided leaving the house for unnecessary needs (p-value = 0.004). Conclusion: Medical students had better knowledge and were more aware on COVID-19 than that of non-medical students; for this reason, medical students tended to change their behaviours in a good way. The current pandemic seems to impact the psychology of the both groups with no difference significant.