FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ANXIETY DURING THE POST-COVID-19 PERIOD IN MOROCCAN STUDENTS

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess anxiety among university students and to explore the factors influencing anxiety levels in the post-COVID-19 period. Material/Methods: To assess anxiety levels, we used the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI). The methodology also included response rate analysis, internal consistency assessment using Cronbach's alpha, exploratory factor analysis, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure and Bartlett's test for dimensional validation. Results: The internal consistency assessment showed a very satisfactory Cronbach's alpha coefficient (alpha = 0.944), reflecting the reliability of the scale measures. Exploratory factor analysis highlighted two distinct factors: "anxiety present" and "anxiety absent", explaining 31% and 29% of the total variance respectively. On the other hand, the analyses show that students present moderate levels of anxiety (18.6%) and severe levels (58.3%). Conclusions: All in all, this study highlighted the very high prevalences of anxiety among Moroccan students, and indicates the need to adopt new strategies to better ensure student well-being.