Psychological impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and associated factors on college students Authors Qurrat-ul-Aen Inam Department Biochemistry, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Shiraz Shaikh APPNA Institute of Public Health, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Sara Wahab Department of Research, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Muhammad Haziq Ovais Third Year MBBS Student, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Usama Abdul Ahad Memon Third Year MBBS Student, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Zainab Anwar Third Year MBBS Student, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.4321 Abstract Objective: To determine the psychological impact of coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic on college students, and to explore factors influencing their anxiety and depression levels. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2020 to January 2021 at the Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, and comprised medical students of either gender in the first to third year of the academic programme. Data was collected using a pretested online structured questionnaire comprising demographic information, academic problems, daily life difficulties and the 25-item Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data was analysed using SPSS22. Results: Of the 397 students, 72(18.1%) were males and 325(81.9%) were females. The overall mean age of the sample was 19.9+/-1.2 years. Of the total, 221(55.7%) students were found to be anxious and depressed. Factors related to academic difficulties and daily life issues had significant correlation (p<0.05) with anxiety and depression. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the need for some form of mental health support was the most significant (p<0.001) predictor of anxiety and depression, followed by family issues (p<0.001) and social media (p<0.001). Anxiety and depression were also significantly associated with fear of family or friend getting coronavirus disease-2019 (p=0.003), lack of attentiveness to study (p=0.040) and felt anxiety when ordering food online (p=0.019). Conclusion: With better understanding, academic institutions and healthcare policymakers may take measures and mitigate students’ distress during the pandemic. Key Words: Anxiety, Depression, COVID-19 pandemic, College students. Author Biographies Qurrat-ul-Aen Inam, Department Biochemistry, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Qurrat-ul-Aen Inam conceived the idea, developed the first draft of the proposal, conducted the trainings of data collectors, supervised and analyzed the data and wrote the first draft of discussion Shiraz Shaikh , APPNA Institute of Public Health, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Shiraz Shaikh assisted in development of methodology of the proposal, supervision of data collection, monitored data entry and contributed in interpretation of data. Sara Wahab, Department of Research, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Sara Wahab provided facilitated trainings, supervised and checked data and provided technical input in analysis and interpretation of data. Muhammad Haziq Ovais, Third Year MBBS Student, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Muhammad Haziq Ovais, Usama Abdul Ahad Memon and Zainab Anwar conducted literature search, assisted in development of the research tool and designing the trainings. They also did the data entry and contributed in developing tables and graphs of the results. Usama Abdul Ahad Memon, Third Year MBBS Student, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Muhammad Haziq Ovais, Usama Abdul Ahad Memon and Zainab Anwar conducted literature search, assisted in development of the research tool and designing the trainings. They also did the data entry and contributed in developing tables and graphs of the results. Zainab Anwar, Third Year MBBS Student, Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Muhammad Haziq Ovais, Usama Abdul Ahad Memon and Zainab Anwar conducted literature search, assisted in development of the research tool and designing the trainings. They also did the data entry and contributed in developing tables and graphs of the results. Downloads Full Text Article Published 2022-09-15 How to Cite Inam, Q.- ul-A. ., Shaikh , S. ., Wahab, . S. ., Ovais, M. H. ., Abdul Ahad Memon, U. ., & Anwar, Z. . (2022). Psychological impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and associated factors on college students. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 72(10), 2014–2018. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.4321 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 72 No. 10 (2022): OCTOBER Section RESEARCH ARTICLE