The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS)
Abstract Background The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many student populations learning online in lockdown. While the mental health consequences of lockdown are increasingly understood, the core features of ‘cabin fever’ – the experience of lockdown – are poorly described. Methods We conducted a...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03858-x |
| _version_ | 1797636795291140096 |
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| author | Ronán M. Conroy Karen Fitzgerald |
| author_facet | Ronán M. Conroy Karen Fitzgerald |
| author_sort | Ronán M. Conroy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many student populations learning online in lockdown. While the mental health consequences of lockdown are increasingly understood, the core features of ‘cabin fever’ – the experience of lockdown – are poorly described. Methods We conducted a questionnaire survey of 649 undergraduate medicine and health sciences students. Item content was developed based on current literature and input from student representatives. Results Mokken scaling identified seven questions that together formed a strongly unidimensional scale which comprised two domains: social isolation/cabin fever and demotivation / demoralisation. Scale scores were significantly associated with depression, self-rated mental health, impaired study efficacy and doomscrolling. Conclusions The adverse effects of lockdown on student wellbeing appear to be driven to an important extent by an experience of isolation and demotivation that corresponds to narrative descriptions of cabin fever. In the foreseeable event of future pandemics, these experiences are a promising target for health promotion in students studying in lockdown. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09f90f6baa6c4794b3558587b4b02285 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-09f90f6baa6c4794b3558587b4b022852023-11-05T12:21:32ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202023-11-012311710.1186/s12909-022-03858-xThe lockdown experience scale for students (LESS)Ronán M. Conroy0Karen Fitzgerald1School of Population Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesRCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesAbstract Background The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many student populations learning online in lockdown. While the mental health consequences of lockdown are increasingly understood, the core features of ‘cabin fever’ – the experience of lockdown – are poorly described. Methods We conducted a questionnaire survey of 649 undergraduate medicine and health sciences students. Item content was developed based on current literature and input from student representatives. Results Mokken scaling identified seven questions that together formed a strongly unidimensional scale which comprised two domains: social isolation/cabin fever and demotivation / demoralisation. Scale scores were significantly associated with depression, self-rated mental health, impaired study efficacy and doomscrolling. Conclusions The adverse effects of lockdown on student wellbeing appear to be driven to an important extent by an experience of isolation and demotivation that corresponds to narrative descriptions of cabin fever. In the foreseeable event of future pandemics, these experiences are a promising target for health promotion in students studying in lockdown.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03858-xWellbeingCabin feverLockdownCovid-19StudentsDepression |
| spellingShingle | Ronán M. Conroy Karen Fitzgerald The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS) BMC Medical Education Wellbeing Cabin fever Lockdown Covid-19 Students Depression |
| title | The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS) |
| title_full | The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS) |
| title_fullStr | The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS) |
| title_short | The lockdown experience scale for students (LESS) |
| title_sort | lockdown experience scale for students less |
| topic | Wellbeing Cabin fever Lockdown Covid-19 Students Depression |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03858-x |
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