Abstract
BackgroundMedical students have faced an enormous disruption to their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on medical student’s psychological well-being in Pakistan. Following ethical approval, an online survey developed in collaboration with World Psychiatric Association (WPA) was distributed among medical students of 5 Medical colleges in the Punjab province of Pakistan between August and September 2020. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Risk Assessment Suicidality Scale (RASS) were used to assess psychological well-being. Data was analyzed using SPSS 26.0.ResultsEleven hundred medical students responded, 756 (69%) being females. More than 2/3rd admitted that their emotional state got worse in relation to appearance of anxiety, insecurity, and sadness, compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19. Prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 48.6% and 48.1%, respectively. Female medical students, pre-clinical students, and those with a previous psychiatric history reported experiencing more anxiety and depression symptoms (P value < 0.001). One in five medical students thought that it would be better if they were dead, and 8% admitted to often think of committing suicide during the past 2 weeks. RASS and subscales (intention, life, and history) scores were higher in females and students with previous psychiatric problems.ConclusionOur findings underscore that the impact of COVID-19 on medical students has been significant; hence, it is crucial for medical colleges to employ strategies to maintain the student’s well-being with safeguards like reassurance, support, and confidential student-centered psychiatric services. The use of virtual platforms (websites, email) to educate and screen students by staff members can create a positive impact. The limitations of this study include cross-sectional design, the possibility of selective participation being web-based survey, response bias, and the possibility of reluctance of students to report mental health problems due to stigma.
Highlights
Medical students have faced an enormous disruption to their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Many factors including fear of infection, closure of medical colleges, widespread transition and adjustment to online learning, academic stress, abrupt cancelation of clinical postings, changes in assessments, and less social and academic support by friends and colleagues due to lockdown may be attributed towards increase vulnerability in medical students to depression and anxiety [5, 6]
With suggestions that the psychological impact of COVID-19 is likely to persist long after the pandemic is over, there is a pressing need to understand the psychological impact among medical students, so that effective mitigation strategies can be developed
Summary
Medical students have faced an enormous disruption to their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many factors including fear of infection, closure of medical colleges, widespread transition and adjustment to online learning, academic stress, abrupt cancelation of clinical postings, changes in assessments, and less social and academic support by friends and colleagues due to lockdown may be attributed towards increase vulnerability in medical students to depression and anxiety [5, 6]. Despite widespread concerns, to our knowledge, there are no published peer-reviewed articles on the effects of COVID-19 on medical students in Pakistan. With suggestions that the psychological impact of COVID-19 is likely to persist long after the pandemic is over, there is a pressing need to understand the psychological impact among medical students, so that effective mitigation strategies can be developed. Institutions need to take steps to provide support to vulnerable students
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