Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Medical Undergraduates of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Eastern Odisha: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The Corona virus pandemic had a crushing impact on the mental health of medical undergraduates. Objective: The current research was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of psychological impacts, viz., anxiety, stress, and depression, in undergraduates undertaking medicine courses and assess their quality of life. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken with an online questionnaire using Google with a WhatsApp link. Informed consent (online) was obtained before enrollment in the study. This study used the DASS-21 questionnaire and a Quality of Life questionnaire for analysis. The total number of participants was 559 during the study period. Descriptive statistics, the non-parametric Chi-square test, the binomial test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Mann-Whitney test were used for analysis. p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Out of 559 respondents, the majority were 21 years of age or older, with a male predominance of 60.6%. It was found that those who were smoking or consuming alcohol had higher DAS scores. Quality of life (QoL) was lower for those who were on medication for hypertension. Stress levels were significantly higher in males. The relationship between anxiety levels and males was statistically significant. Conclusions: COVID-19 had a psychological impact on the medical students. Therefore, early evaluation, timely intervention, and student counseling services need to be made available to solve this problem and remain prepared for all potential future pandemics.