Ambrina Qureshi, Muhammad Mohsin Haider, Rahmatullah Khan.
Exploring Gender Distribution in Anxiety Spectrum through Factor Analysis among Dental Students.
J Pak Dent Assoc Jan ;25(3):87-92.

INTRODUCTION: Dental anxiety is a highly prevalent condition affecting approximately 30% of the population. The mental health of university students is an area of increasing worldwide concern as this population has been shown to be particularly prone to depression, anxiety and stress. OBJECTIVE: To establish clustered categories of anxiety related emotions among dental students and also observe gender (male, female) distribution with respect to the predicted categories of anxiety. METHODOLOGY: Cross sectional observational study was conducted among a sample of 200 with almost equal number of male and female students. Corah's Dental Anxiety Questionnaire (DASS 21) was used, which is a self-reported questionnaire consisting of 21 questions related to anxiety. Statistical analysis was performed on Stata 11.0 using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). RESULTS: This factor analysis suggests that there is a room for improvement in DASS-21 by defining a spectrum of anxiety. Significant distribution in anxiety factors 3 (Nervousness), 4 (Panicky) and 6 (Touchiness) with respect to gender (males and females). Enhancing education, awareness, improving teaching methods and training of dental procedures might help alleviate anxiety. KEYWORDS: Anxiety, Dental Students, DASS21, Gender.

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