Evaluation of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder among the Pharmacy Students during Examinations

Abstract

Aim: The main aim of this study is to evaluate the generalized anxiety disorder among the pharmacy students during examinations in the Indian scenario. Materials & Methods: This was a prospective study conducted among the pharmacy students by using the GAD-7 questionnaire which was circulated by means of Google form to various Pharmacy colleges located in Andhra Pradesh, India. Students from pharmacy colleges with both the gender of all age groups were included. Students other than the pharmacy stream were excluded from the study. Results: A total of 240 study participants were involved in the study and among them 71 (29.6%) were found to be males and 169 (70.4%) were found to be females. Among 240 study participants, 30 (12.5%) were observed with minimal anxiety, 105 (43.8%) were observed with mild anxiety, 78 (32.5%) were observed with moderate anxiety and the remaining 27 (11.2%) were observed with severe anxiety. Conclusion: Most of the study participants were observed with mild anxiety symptoms followed by moderate anxiety symptoms during the examinations. Usually, whenever the students were going to appear for their examinations, the minimal anxiety is most commonly seen in them. But, the abnormal scores among some of the students may negatively impact their academic performance of the students. Parents and as well as the teaching faculty should provide some moral support for the students and in case of severe anxiety conditions, students must go for counseling sessions which may benefit them in a positive way in dealing with the academics.