Abstract
Objective:We aimed to investigate the knowledge of medical students about COVID-19, the effects of the traumatic situation they experienced, the stress they perceived and the factors affecting them. In addition, we aimed to learn the thoughts of the students about the virus due to the uncertainties.Methods:The study was carried out online between April 30, May 5, 2020 with a questionnaire prepared with googleforms. For the study, all students studying at the Faculty of Medicine of Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University were called through class representatives and WhatsApp class groups. The questionnaire included sociodemographic information, knowledge and sources of information about the disease, to agreement degree the proposition whether covid 19 is produced as a biological weapon. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) were applied.Results:The total number of participants was 275 students. No student was infected with COVID-19 at the time of the survey. The presence of chronic disease in the participants was found to be a factor that increased anxiety (p = 0.01). Majority of participants (60.40%) stated that they agree with COVID-19 is a biological weapon. The mean scores of women ‘s total PSS and IES-R were higher than men. It was found that the families of the students had a lower monthly income than the minimum monthly wage is increasing the anxiety about getting COVID-19 infection and perceived stress. One-third of the students reported that sleep and appetite were impaired than the before pandemic. The announcements and website of Ministry of Health and the social media was the main source of information of the participants.Conclusions:It was found that medical students were highly worried about being infected with COVID-19. The scores obtained from the pre-clinic students’ anxiety to become infected with COVID-19, PSS and IES-R total scores were found to be significantly higher than their clinical students.
Highlights
Due to the high rate of spread and mortality of COVID-19, majority of the society are experiencing anxiety in the face of increasing number of deaths all over the world
The participants were asked whether they participated in the proposition to “COVID-19 was produced in the laboratories as a biological weapon”. 60.40% (n = 166) of the participants stated that they agree with this proposition
We found that the families of the students had a lower monthly income than the minimum monthly wage is increasing the anxiety about getting COVID-19 infection and perceived stress
Summary
Due to the high rate of spread and mortality of COVID-19, majority of the society are experiencing anxiety in the face of increasing number of deaths all over the world. Recent research on COVID-19 reveals that healthcare workers (HCWs) experience high levels of stressful and traumatic events, and that their mental health is negatively affected including stress-related symptoms, depression, anxety and insomnia.[1]. We aimed to investigate the knowledge of medical students about COVID-19, the effects of the traumatic situation they experienced, the stress they perceived and the factors affecting them. This study investigated the effect on these variables of potentially affecting factors such as age, gender, marital status, place of residence, accompanying chronic disease, a COVID-19 friend or relative, living with high risk persons such as someone aged above 65, pregnant woman and healthcare workers. We aimed to learn the thoughts of the students about the virus due to the uncertainties
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
