Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the medical education globally. The new academic environment had significantly upended medical students’ learning habitude, which might precipitate anxiety and depression on top of other concerns related to COVID-19. Literature have shown that having a prolonged screen time was associated with poor psychological well-being. This study therefore aimed to determine the association of digital screen time with anxiety and depression among medical students in the Ateneo de Zamboanga University – School of Medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This study utilized a combination of cross-sectional and case-control research designs. A total of 181 medical students were included in the study and were assessed for their screen time, anxiety, and depression using validated self-reported screening instruments, namely (1) Generalized Anxiety Disorder – 7 (GAD-7), (2) Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9), and (3) Digital Screen Assessment Tool. Results: The findings have shown that 34 (18.8%) medical students screened positive for anxiety, while 44 (24.3%) screened positive for depression. Moreover, there were 162 (89.5%) medical students with high screen time (≥ 6 hours a day) that was associated with those who were living alone (OR 0.098, p = 0029). Those who were isolated or quarantined by the health authority (OR 8.53, p = 0.048), those who had relationship problems (OR 4.38, p =0.045), and those who had depressive symptoms (OR 170.37, p <0.001) were predictive factors for anxiety. Moreover, only those with symptoms of anxiety (OR 118.80, p <0.001) has significantly predicted depression. Finally, this study found no statistically significant association of digital screen time with anxiety and depression among the medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: This study concludes that medical students are especially susceptible of having anxiety and depression, which can be attributed to several factors other than high digital screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore vital to strengthen or even formulate more effective strategies to reduce the prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students, especially during public health emergencies. The concerted efforts of improving the mental health status of these students will ultimately lead to efficient quality patient care in the future.

Keyword: Association of digital screen time with anxiety and depression Medical students