The emotional burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on medical students in Greece.

Abstract

Everyday human life has recently been affected worldwide by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Medical students were found to be a vulnerable population, facing many challenges with the temporary suspension of clinical activities, as well as their confrontation with violent changes in their chosen profession. The purpose of the present study is to record and detect possible signs of emotional burden on the psychological profile of northern Greek medical students in the second wave of the European pandemic at the hitherto culmination point. 342 medical students completed a questionnaire investigating some very rough and easily self-reported affective psychiatric symptoms and their responses were statistically evaluated. The results disclosed experienced emotional burden among medical students with a general exacerbation of various non-specific affective symptoms, but a decrease in suicidal ideation and auto-destructiveness was nevertheless observed. On the contrary, a moderate increase in wishes for illness was noted among medical students. Findings of emotional burden were disclosed among medical students with a general worsening of various non-specific affective symptoms in turn connoting feelings of discomfort in adapting to the multiple constraints and fear of insecurity for the newly-formed reality created by the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic.