Abstract
Due to the drastic surge of COVID-19 patients, many countries are considering or already graduating health professional students early to aid professional resources. We aimed to assess outbreak-related psychological distress and symptoms of acute stress reaction (ASR) in health professional students and to characterize individuals with potential need for interventions. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 1442 health professional students at Sichuan University, China. At baseline (October 2019), participants were assessed for childhood adversity, stressful life events, internet addiction, and family functioning. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined associations of the above exposures with subsequent psychological distress and ASR in response to the outbreak. Three hundred and eighty-four (26.63%) participants demonstrated clinically significant psychological distress, while 160 (11.10%) met the criterion for a probable ASR. Individuals who scored high on both childhood adversity and stressful life event experiences during the past year were at increased risks of both distress (ORs 2.00-2.66) and probable ASR (ORs 2.23-3.10), respectively. Moreover, internet addiction was associated with elevated risks of distress (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.60-2.64) and probable ASR (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.50-3.10). By contrast, good family functioning was associated with decreased risks of distress (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.33-0.55) and probable ASR (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.33-0.69). All associations were independent of baseline psychological distress. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 related psychological distress and high symptoms burden of ASR are common among health professional students. Extended family and professional support should be considered for vulnerable individuals during these unprecedented times.
Highlights
In the wake of the sudden 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare workers are at risk for physical challenges and mental burden, psychological distress (Lai et al, 2020; Liu et al, 2020)
Leveraging a prospective cohort of health professional students in China, we aimed to assess the COVID-19 related psychological distress and to identify high-risk groups who might benefit from supportive measures
We evaluated psychological distress using the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale (K6) and acute stress reaction (ASR) using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R)
Summary
In the wake of the sudden 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare workers are at risk for physical challenges and mental burden, psychological distress (Lai et al, 2020; Liu et al, 2020). Due to the drastic surge of patients worldwide, many countries are considering or already graduating senior health professional students early to join the workforce. Inexperience in such urgent situations may be stressful for students graduating directly to responsibilities in the pandemic crisis. Leveraging a prospective cohort of health professional students in China, we aimed to assess the COVID-19 related psychological distress and to identify high-risk groups who might benefit from supportive measures. We aimed to assess outbreak-related psychological distress and symptoms of acute stress reaction (ASR) in health professional students and to characterize individuals with potential need for interventions. Extended family and professional support should be considered for vulnerable individuals during these unprecedented times
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