Psychological stress among Nigerian undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global pandemic has been linked with a high level of psychological stress from the associated lockdown policy by the government. University students are amongst the high-risk groups for developing COVID-19 related stress due to several factors. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of psychological stress among Nigerian undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic lock down and assess predictors of moderate and high psychological stress. Methods: Data from a cross-sectional sample of 471 undergraduate students in Nigerian universities (aged 18 – 42) was utilized to determine the prevalence of psychological stress and assess predictors of moderate and high stress using self-report measures of socio-demographic information, health status, sleep quality and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale. Results: The median age (years) of participants was 21 (IQR: 19, 23), consisting of 41.4% males and 58.5% females. The prevalence of low, moderate, and high psychological stress was 13.6%, 62.0% and 24.4% respectively. A reduced risk of moderate and high stress was significantly associated with good/excellent health status and good/excellent sleep quality (p