Long-term Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey among Students and Technical Staff in Health Care Institutions

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and technical personnel at healthcare institutions, with a focus on levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Methods: A total of 250 participants were included, comprising 130 students from health sciences and 120 individuals from technical fields. In total, 164 participants were females, and 192 participants were aged ≤20 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered electronic questionnaire. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), followed by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), was used to retrospectively assess psychological distress linked to the pandemic. The data were analysed via the chi-square test. Results: DASS severity ratings revealed that 41.3% of participants aged ≤20 years experienced severe or extremely severe anxiety, which was statistically significant (p = 0.013). The stress scores were also significantly higher in this age group (p = 0.004). Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that younger age and female sex were significantly associated with increased odds of depression and stress. Males had comparatively lower odds of experiencing psychological distress. Participants from technical fields demonstrated higher odds of anxiety and stress, although not of depression. Conclusion: The long-term psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be more pronounced among younger individuals, females, and technical staff in healthcare institutions. Although students may have greater awareness about the disease, this awareness may contribute to heightened psychological distress.