Factors associated with the presence of depression, anxiety, and substance use in health students from 10 Latin American countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction. Health science students represented a particularly vulnerable group during the pandemic. Studies in various regions have found a high prevalence of psychopathology, associated with the presence of stressors such as contact with patients, isolation, and financial difficulties. Objective. To determine the stressors for and frequency of depression, anxiety and substance use in Latin American health science students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method. A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was conducted to measure the presence of stressors and determine anxiety and depression symptoms through the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7 scales, and substance use in 777 students from ten countries, from June 2020 to January 2021. Results. The most frequent stressors were having a loved one diagnosed with COVID-19 and being diagnosed with another illness. A total of 54.1% of the sample had depression, and 46.2% had anxiety according to the rating scales cut-off points, while 24.8% reported substance use. Reading or listening to news about the pandemic was the main stressor associated with the presence of psychopathology. Discussion and conclusion. Latin American health science students displayed high frequencies of psychopathology associated with various stressors. It is therefore important to monitor the mental health of this population to prevent low academic performance.