Perceived stress among students in virtual classrooms during the COVID-19 outbreak in KSA

Abstract Objectives The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is a novel infection caused by the coronavirus, which rapidly became a global pandemic. As disease outbreaks can adversely affect mental health, in this study, we explored the perceived stress levels among students during the COVID-19 outbreak that led to the adjournment of face-to-face teaching in KSA. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 367 students from KSA, which assessed their socio-demographic characteristics, Perceived Stress Scale, emotions, and concerns during the COVID-19 outbreak. Results Most participants were female (74.7%) and secondary school (79.8%) students. More than half of the participants showed moderate levels of stress (55%), while 30.2% registered high levels. Females and university students showed a significant association with stress level (p-value = 0.003 and 0.049, respectively). Conclusions There was a moderate to high level of stress among students in KSA at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. This study found a significant correlation between a high level of stress and female university students. The integration of online counselling and stress management programs would help mitigate the stress of students during distance learning.