Satisfaction and associated factors of E-learning among nursing undergraduates during COVID-19 pandemic in two selected state universities of Western Province, Sri Lanka

Introduction: The global education system was seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, the majority of education institutions all over the world had to discontinue their face-to-face teaching and learning methods and switch to online learning. Therefore, university students struggled with the rapid change in the education system, and they needed to adapt to the new educational environment. This study was carried out to assess the satisfaction of E-learning and associated socio -demographic characteristics among nursing undergraduates during COVID-19 pandemic in two selected universities of Western Province, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among conveniently selected 395 undergraduate nursing students from the two study settings using a web-based/online survey. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire prepared as a Google form was sent to all the nursing undergraduates in the two selected state universities in Sri Lanka.Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Ethical approval was received from the Ethics Review Committee of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Results: The response rate for the survey was 93.6%. The majority of the participants (n=298, 75.4%) were females. Most of the respondents (n=168, 44.8%) agreed with the clarity of the lecture material provided online, and 46.2% were satisfied with the guidance and services of the lecturers. Of the sample, half (50.1%) of the participants had a good level of satisfaction on E-learning. Only the gender was associated with the satisfaction on E-learning (p=0.024). Most of the (n=159) female participants had a good level of satisfaction on E-learning than male participants. Conclusions: More than half of the undergraduate nursing students in the two selected state universities of Western Province were satisfied with the E-learning they had received during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant association between gender and satisfactions on E-learning. Females had a good level of satisfaction on E-learning. Keywords: E-learning, Satisfaction, COVID-19, Nursing undergraduate

The Prevalence of Depression among Undergraduates of a Selected Medical Faculty in Sri Lanka

Introduction: Depression is a common mental disorder which can lead to major problems such as suicidal attempts. It is well known that the demands and pressure on undergraduates in medical faculties create tremendous challenges which result in an extensive range of psychological ailments like depression. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of different levels of depression among undergraduates in a selected medical sciences faculty in Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient sampling technique among students in a selected medical faculty. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was used to assess depressive symptoms of the respondents. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS version 23. Results: Mean age of the sample (n=397) was 24.1±2.5 years. The mean score obtained for depression was 10.5±8.3. Only 38.5% of the respondents had normal level of depressive symptoms while 7.1% and 4.0% of the respondents presented severe and extremely severe symptoms, respectively. Age (p=0.011) and academic year (p=0.001) showed a significant association with depression. Conclusions: The study demonstrates a considerable prevalence in different levels of depressive symptoms among undergraduates who are enrolled in medical and allied health sciences programmes. Therefore, it would be highly beneficial to reduce depressive symptoms by early identification. Studies to identify causes and interventional studies will contribute to implement measures to improve identification, and reduce the prevalence of depression among undergraduates.Keywords: Depression, Undergraduates, Mental disorde