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University students may be particularly vulnerable to develop mental disorders, including depression, due to sudden and unexpected changes in their daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to assess depression among male smokers and non-smokers university students during the first wave of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 444 university male students using convenient and snowball sampling with a 1:1 ratio of male smokers and non-smokers from July to October, 2020. The prevalence estimates of moderate to severe depression were 53.6 % and 22.1 %, respectively among male smokers and non-smokers with an overall prevalence rate of 37.9 %. The participants who smoked cigarette were 4.05 times more likely to have depression compared to those who did not smoke (AOR = 4.05; 95 % CI = 2.60–6.30, p < 0.001). The following factors were found to be associated with depression: being smokers, having family members who lost jobs due to the impact of COVID-19, and having food scarcity due to COVID-19. The findings suggest mental health awareness and psychosocial support programs with a special focus on quitting smoking behavior among university students.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disproportionately impacts individuals with medical conditions, including with respect to their mental health. The present study investigated depression and anxiety and their correlates among individuals with medical conditions in Bangladesh. Methods: Subjects were recruited to participate in an internet-based survey. Data were collected from November 2020 to January 2021 using convenience sampling by a semi-structured questionnaire through online platforms. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine associations applying Bonferroni correction (p

Background: Although internet use can boost individuals’ quality of life in various aspects, activities on the internet (e.g., gambling, video gaming, social media use, pornography use, etc.) can be used as coping strategy to deal with psychological stressors and mood states (e.g., fear, anxiety, depression) particularly during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: The present study assessed problematic internet use (PIU) among Bangladeshi youth and adults in Bangladesh and examined its correlation with lifestyle and online activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was utilized between May and June 2020 comprising 13,525 Bangladeshi individuals (61.3% male; age range 18–50 years; mean age 23.7 years) recruited from various online platforms. The self-report survey included questions concerning socio-demographics, lifestyle, and online activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as psychometric scales such as the nine-item Internet Disorder Scale-Short Form (IDS9-SF). Results: Utilizing hierarchical regression analysis, problematic internet use was significantly and positively associated with those who were younger, having a higher level of education, living with a nuclear family, engaging in less physical exercise, avoiding household chores, playing online videogames, social media use, and engaging in recreational online activities. Conclusions: Excessive internet use appears to have been commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic period and young adults were most vulnerable to problematic internet use.