Cabin fever and its associated factors among Universiti Putra Malaysia (Serdang Campus) students who stayed in campus during movement control order (MCO) in 2020

Ulagantheran, Kumuthini and Aziz, Muhammad Amirul and Ern, Foong Wei (2020) Cabin fever and its associated factors among Universiti Putra Malaysia (Serdang Campus) students who stayed in campus during movement control order (MCO) in 2020. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Introduction: In Malaysia, the government enforced the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18, 2020 to slow the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MCO restricted most activity including those of university students. Many students had to remain within their college premises for weeks even though the universities were closed. Being confined in a space for an extended period can result in a condition called cabin fever, which a range of negative emotions and distress. Presence of cabin fever may lead to psychological problems such as depression and anxiety, which in turn could be serious enough to result in suicide. Detecting cabin fever among students may help relevant authorities to generate remedial measures, preventing it from progressing to more serious psychological problems. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, severity, and associated factors of cabin fever among a public university‘s students who remained in campus during the MCO period. This study also explored the coping strategies used by these students to overcome cabin fever. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among students from a public university in Selangor, who remained in residential colleges in the Serdang campus during the current MCO period. The study tool was a self-administered online questionnaire. The questionnaire has three sections: The questionnaire was divided into three sections: section A collects socio-demographic, academic, and family data, section B collects data on signs and symptoms of Cabin Fever using the Cabin Fever Scale (CFS) and section C collects data on vi coping strategies that the students experienced during the MCO. All data collected was analyzed using IBM statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0 involving descriptive analyses and statistical tests for associations such as chi-square tests and ANOVA. Results: The prevalence of cabin fever among the respondents was 46% and it was associated with age group, gender, ethnicity, duration of study and family monthly income. The coping strategies found to be effective in reducing the prevalence of cabin fever were chatting with friends and family and self-motivation.

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 03:27
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2023 03:27
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1179

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