© The Author(s). 2023 Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-share alike license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted distribution, and non-commercial reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as original. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. ORIGINAL ARTICLE pandemic, 34.3, 65.7, and 53.8% of university students experienced stress, anxiety, and moderate depression, respectively. 10 Hence, it is important to recognize that an increase in psychological consequences postlockdown may go unrealized. This study has the following objectives—to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of undergraduate health science students during and after the lockdown, to examine the students who are already under medication for psychological disorders and their outcomes, and to study the association between I NTRODUCTION Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and in March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic and recommended precautionary measures. 1 The public was significantly affected by strict lockdowns and self-isolation policies, along with the uncertainty of COVID-19 and fear for one’s life. 2 The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on education as schools and universities closed in response to the lockdown measures. Although higher educational institutions were quick to transform face-to-face lectures into online learning, the lack of accessibility to digital learning and the absence of networking and socializing opportunities significantly affected educational outcomes. 3 Furthermore, university students experienced great disruption in their living situations. Concerns regarding the impact of the pandemic on academic progress and ability to enter the workforce, the need to adjust to the new online learning, and the fear of transmitting the virus to their family members all led to unprecedented stress. 4 Studies from China, France, the United States, and Australia all demonstrated a negative impact on the mental health of university students, with symptoms such as posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. 5–7 Although traditional classes have resumed postlockdown, some students could not adapt to the postlockdown academic life and experienced psychological issues. 8,9 Even before the pandemic, there have been reports worldwide of university students struggling with mental health crises. A study from Saudi Arabia conducted by Bahhawi et al. reported that before the 1–3,5–7 Department of Respiratory Therapy, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 4 Department of Respiratory Therapy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 8 Department of Rehabilitation Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Corresponding Author: Gokul G Krishna, Department of Respiratory Therapy, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, e-mail: gokulrescare@gmail.com How to cite this article: Alahmari AD, Krishna GG, Jose AM, et al. Mental Health of Undergraduate Health Science Students during and after the COVID-19 Lockdown. Indian J Respir Care 2023;12(3):248–253. Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: Dr Gokul G Krishna is associated as Associate Editor of this journal and this manuscript was subjected to this journal’s standard review procedures, with this peer review handled independently of the Associate Editor and his research group. Mental Health of Undergraduate Health Science Students during and after the COVID-19 Lockdown Ayedh D Alahmari 1 , Gokul G Krishna 2 , Ann M Jose 3 , Mazen M Homoud 4 , Albara M Majeed 5 , Asr M Almofareh 6 , Faisal M Alhzaani 7 , Khalid S Alwadeai 8 Received on: 23 July 2023; Accepted on: 31 August 2023; Published on: 30 October 2023 A BSTRACT Introduction: The health, economic, social, and educational systems worldwide have been seriously impacted by the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Students’ academic results and mental health were greatly impacted by the lack of traditional face-to-face lectures, access to digital learning, and possibilities for networking and socializing. The study’s outcome was to investigate the stress, depression, and anxiety experienced by undergraduate health science students during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Materials and methods: We collected data from 470 students using three validated questionnaires: the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) for stress, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) for anxiety, and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression. The questionnaires were sent to potential participants via e-mail during the COVID-19 lockdown. After the lockdown, a follow-up was made. Results: A total of 368 (78.3%) participants completed the questionnaires; 30.7% (n = 113) vs 19.8% (n = 73) experienced severe stress during and after the lockdown, respectively. The mean scores for stress, anxiety, and depression during the lockdown vs postlockdown were 22 (11) vs 20 (11), 9 (7) vs 9 (6), and 7 (6) vs 7 (6.5), respectively. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 lockdown, undergraduate health science students experienced serious mental health issues, especially those under medication for psychological disorders. A significant improvement was observed postlockdown in overall mental health among students, but the number of students experiencing mental health issues remained high. Keywords: Anxiety, Coronavirus disease 2019, Depression, Education, Health Science, Lockdown, Stress, Students, Undergraduate. Indian Journal of Respiratory Care (2023): 10.5005/jp-journals-11010-1063