Prevalence of loneliness among physiotherapy students during the covid-19 pandemic: a cross sectional study

Background: Covid-19 pandemic has created a huge disruption in people’s life around the world. Physiotherapy students are not far off from its influence in their daily life. Not only has the pandemic affected their academics, it also has affected their daily life, their mental health and their productivity. Because of the lockdown, most people have undergone social isolation and loneliness. This study was conducted to find the impact of loneliness in Physiotherapy students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology: The primary data was collected from students studying physiotherapy in various colleges in Karnataka. A cross-sectional research design was used for this study. 121 students have been selected for this study purpose. UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 was used to collect data. Results: The results of this study clearly show that the almost 99% of the Physiotherapy students in Karnataka suffer from some form of loneliness which has mostly been caused because of the ongoing pandemic. Conclusion: After the Covid-19 pandemic it is conclusive that the prevalence of loneliness among the physiotherapy students in the state of Karnataka has significantly increased and should be a subject of concern and also be addressed as soon as possible.