The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students

Ertek, İrem Ekmekçi; Özkan, Seçil; Candansayar, Selçuk; İlhan, Mustafa

doi:10.28982/josam.1061178

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…Social distancing and lack of social and sports activities may also negatively affect people's mental health, especially those who already suffer from disorders such as depression or anxiety 10 . Furthermore, the limitation of mental health services, or even the fear of contracting the disease, may have affected access to help or treatment 11 . Thus, the analysis of epidemiological data on suicide is of great importance for the elaboration of more effective actions by society and the creation of public policies by the government.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide mortality in Brazil: temporal analysis (2010-2021) and comparison with the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic

Mejía,

Pivatto

2023

Rev Cienc Saude

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Objective: To analyze suicide cases in Brazil from 2010 to 2021 and the sociodemographic characteristics of this phenomenon, including the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess whether there was a relationship between the increase in suicide cases in Brazil and this illness. Methods: Ecological timeline study, with 140,339 cases analyzed from the Mortality Information System (SIM) databases. Rates and statistical regressions were performed using STATA® software. Results: Higher suicide rates in men, singles, and residents of the South and Midwest regions were observed. The age group of 10–19 years had an increase of 1.7 cases x 100 thousand inhabitants/year. Analysis by region revealed significant variations in rates, suggesting the influence of contextual factors. Although the pandemic affected mental health, it was not possible to establish a direct relationship between COVID-19 and increased suicide rates. Conclusion: These results reinforce the need for public policies and preventive interventions, especially for vulnerable groups such as young people. A multifactorial approach is suggested that considers socioeconomic factors, access to mental health services, and reduced stigma associated with mental illness. In short, this study contributes to understanding the temporal trends and demographic characteristics of suicides in Brazil, highlighting the importance of further longitudinal investigations to better understand this complex phenomenon. Hopefully, this evidence will strengthen mental health policies and promote more effective suicide prevention strategies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide mortality in Brazil: temporal analysis (2010-2021) and comparison with the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic

Mejía,

Pivatto

2023

Rev Cienc Saude

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Global prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Lin,

Saragih,

Lin

et al. 2024

BMC Psychol

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Purpose As future physicians, medical students have experienced tremendous pressure during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is associated with a high risk of depression and anxiety. We aimed to investigate an overview of the prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students in various countries during the global COVID-19 pandemic, and discuss associated stressors. Methods We systematically searched CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Web of Science for relevant articles from December 1, 2019 to March 15, 2023. We performed meta-analysis using a random-effects model with REML method to calculate the pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression. Begg’s and Egger’s tests were used to identify the potential risk of publication bias. Meta-regression was used to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Results We identified 130 studies reporting anxiety and depression among 132,068 medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight screening tools were identified for anxiety and six for depression. The pooled prevalence of mental health outcomes for anxiety and depression was 45% (95% confidence interval [CI], 40%–49%) and 48% (95% CI, 43%–52%), respectively. The pooled prevalence of mental health outcomes for moderate and severe anxiety and moderate and severe depression was 28% (95% CI, 24%–32%) and 30% (95% CI, 26%–35%), respectively. There was high heterogeneity between studies, with I2 ranging from 99.58%–99.66%. Continent and survey date were included in the meta-regression model. The results of meta-regression revealed that medical students in Asia had a lower prevalence of anxiety, and depression than those in other regions. The survey date (from February to June, 2020) showed a significantly positive correlation with the prevalence of anxiety and depression. Conclusions We demonstrated the global prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data highlight that medical students worldwide are at high risk of experiencing anxiety and depression. The reported stressors can be categorized into personal, academic, environmental and cultural, and pandemic factors. Schools and institutions should ensure optimal alternative learning environments for uninterrupted provision of medical education. The appropriate authorities should prioritize the provision of adequate protection for medical students and establish policies to promote new methods of training and education during a disaster, such as via distance learning.

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Study-related wellbeing, behavior, and attitudes of university students in the Netherlands during emergency remote teaching in the context of COVID-19: A longitudinal study

et al. 2022

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IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency remote teaching was implemented at all conventional Dutch universities; however, the degree of limitations in on-campus teaching and learning varied during the pandemic dependent on the strictness of the measures. In the present study, it will be investigated how study-related experiences of university students changed in the face of varying limitations in on-campus teaching and learning.MethodsThe study had a longitudinal natural experiment design with three points of measurement during the academic year 2020–2021: November–December 2020 (t1; campuses partially open), March 2021 (t2; campuses fully closed) and June–July 2021 (t3; campuses partially open). In total, 680 Dutch university students (65.9% female; age: M = 21 years, SD = 2.06) filled in online surveys measuring study-related wellbeing (academic burnout and study-engagement), study-related behavior (study effort), and study-related attitudes (education satisfaction, online self-efficacy, and attitudes toward online education).ResultsOverall, students reported moderate levels of academic burnout, study engagement, study effort, education satisfaction, and online self-efficacy; their attitudes toward online education were rather negative. Students’ study-related wellbeing and education satisfaction decreased in the period when on-campus teaching and learning was impossible (t2) compared to periods in which on-campus teaching and learning was possible at a low level with several restrictions (t1 and t3). Students’ attitudes toward online education and online self-efficacy slightly increased at the end of the academic year (t3); however, the attitudes toward online education remained negative.DiscussionThe findings indicate that students’ academic burnout, study engagement, and education satisfaction varied over the course of the academic year in the context of changing limitations in on-campus teaching and learning. To facilitate positive study-related experiences, universities are advised to offer as much on-campus education as possible in times of pandemics.

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

Suicide mortality in Brazil: temporal analysis (2010-2021) and comparison with the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic

Suicide mortality in Brazil: temporal analysis (2010-2021) and comparison with the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic

Global prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Study-related wellbeing, behavior, and attitudes of university students in the Netherlands during emergency remote teaching in the context of COVID-19: A longitudinal study

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