The impact of covid-19: Anxiety, depression, and wellbeing among medical students

Abstract

Background: Medical students have been considered as a vulnerable group at higher risk of mental health issues during the COVID-19 outbreak. Aims: We set out to detect symptoms of depression and anxiety in medical students in St. Petersburg (Russia) during the first wave of COVID-19 outbreak and explore the associations between psychosocial factors related to the pandemic and students’ psychological well-being. Method: An anonymous online survey of medical students was conducted in May–June 2020. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used for screening anxiety and depression symptoms. The final sample consisted of 144 students (78.5% females). Results: About 69.4% of respondents reported that COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions were a new source of stress in their lives. More than one-third (38.9%) of respondents reported a need for psychological (emotional) support due to a change in their daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the vast majority (83.9%) of these respondents indicated an increased need for support in this specific period. Symptoms of anxiety were reported by 55.8% of females (HADS score: 9.05 ± 4.69) and 48.4% of males (8.09 ± 5.0), and symptoms of depression were found in 38.9% of females (6.40 ± 3.57) and 41.9% of males (6.16 ± 3.21). Conclusions: These findings indicate that it is necessary to develop additional measures for the prevention and early diagnosis of mental disorders along with right levels of support for wellbeing and mental health of medical students in this ongoing pandemic.

Well-Being, Mental Health, and Study Characteristics of Medical Students before and during the Pandemic

“…This could be explained by the time frame when the data were collected and the reduced pandemic measures, or by the comparatively fewer cancellations of lectures at the medical universities compared to other Austrian universities. Other international studies underline this assumption that the results are dependent on the particular period when the data were collected, e.g., May/June 2020 [70,71] or March 2021 [72], and the respective ongoing measures seem to be crucial in revealing increased rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms in medical students. Nonetheless, when associating the peripandemic GAD and PHQ data with the pre-pandemic MCS, where 22.1% rarely felt "calm and peaceful" and 14.8% mostly felt "downhearted and blue" in the last four weeks, one can assume quite stable values in terms of mental health, although the comparison is limited.…”

Depression in medical students during the COVID-19 lockdown in Greece

“…15 In a smaller study with a sample of 144 medical students that used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for screening anxiety and depression symptoms during the pandemic, symptoms of depression were found in 38.9% of females and 41.9% of males. 16 Regarding the estimated prevalence of depression, it is important to mention that the heterogeneity of the study populations and the variety of the methodology used by the researchers make comparisons difficult. However, it is worth noting that the methodology utilized by the current study (combined use of a cut-off point and an algorithm) returned lower but more reliable rates, as it corrects for the rate of false positive events reducing the possibility of misclassification.…”

Is there any sustained effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic? – A controlled trial comparing pre‐ and post‐pandemic oral radiology courses

“…Furthermore, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the attitude towards digital media might have changed, 28 and comparability with pre-pandemic studies might be limited. Potential psychological effects such as frustration, depression, and anxiety associated with social isolation have been reported, 26,[29][30][31] and it is difficult to control or subtract these effects for post-pandemic courses.…”