Abstract
BackgroundThe objectives of the study were to identify the psychological impacts of lockdown on medical students due to COVID-19 and to discover the educational perplexities being faced by these students during the lockdown.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Medical College (SSRMC), Mauritius. Questions were designed after an extensive review of the literature, so as to ensure relevance to meet the objectives of the study.ResultsOut of 700 undergraduate medical students, 663 participated, which equates to a response rate of 95%. 348 (52.5 %) of the students were stationed in their hometown and the remaining 315 (47.5 %) were stationed in Mauritius. 464(70%) of the students suffered from the psychological impacts of lockdown whereas 634(95.6%) of students suffered from the educational impact thereof. Mauritian students suffered a greater educational impact aOR4.236[1.606-11.173]. Psychological impacts aOR 1.280 [0.917-1.789] and educational impacts aOR 2.464 [1.076-5.647] were more prevalent in hometown-based students. Students pursuing their clinical studies had aOR1.219 [ 0.531-2.798] a greater educational impact as compared to preclinical studies.ConclusionLockdown triggered both educational and psychological impacts on medical students. On a psychological basis it was proven that the lockdown induced a feeling of guilt and had a greater psychological impact in pre-clinical students. The COVID-19 situation was simultaneously indicated to be a motivator in the majority of students; however, juxtaposed to this was the fact that various students felt as if they couldn’t study at the same level that they were accustomed to due to the uncertainty of the situation.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus or (COVID-19) which surfaced in Wuhan, China, in 2019 subsequently led to a pandemic [1]
It is imperative that this study is used by the global community as it lends an insight into the impact of the lockdown on both an educational and psychological basis of students
The daily smartphone usage of students shows that 221 (33.3%) of the students spend 4-6 hours on their devices and a smaller cohort of 47 (7.1%) of students spend 1-2 hours on their devices per day. 464(70%) of the students suffered from the psychological impact of lockdown whereas 634(95.6%) of the students suffered from the educational impact of lockdown. (Table 1) Table 2 depicts Female and male students have equivocally suffered from the psychological impact of this lockdown period
Summary
The novel coronavirus or (COVID-19) which surfaced in Wuhan, China, in 2019 subsequently led to a pandemic [1]. The objectives of the study were to identify the psychological impact of lockdown on medical students due to COVID-19 and to discover the educational perplexities being faced by these students throughout this period. A substantial dearth of data exists which can quantify the effects and understand the impact of this lockdown on medical students, their studies as well as their mental health. It is imperative that this study is used by the global community as it lends an insight into the impact of the lockdown on both an educational and psychological basis of students. The objectives of the study were to identify the psychological impacts of lockdown on medical students due to COVID-19 and to discover the educational perplexities being faced by these students during the lockdown.
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