Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health status of undergraduate medical students in a COVID-19 treating medical college: a prospective longitudinal study

被引:312
作者
Saraswathi, Ilango [1 ]
Saikarthik, Jayakumar [2 ]
Kumar, K. Senthil [1 ]
Srinivasan, Kumar Madhan [3 ]
Ardhanaari, M. [4 ]
Gunapriya, Raghunath [5 ]
机构
[1] Madha Med Coll & Res Inst, Dept Physiol, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
[2] Majmaah Univ, Dept Basic Med Sci, Ar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
[3] Madha Med Coll & Res Inst, Dept Gen Med, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
[4] Meenakshi Med Coll Hosp & Res Inst, Dept Psychiat, Enathur, Tamil Nadu, India
[5] Saveetha Med Coll Hosp, Dept Anat, Thandalam, Tamil Nadu, India
关键词
COVID-19; Undergraduate medical students; Longitudinal study; Mental health; Depression; Anxiety; Stress; Sleep quality; DASS21; PSQI; STRESS SCALES DASS; PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT; SLEEP QUALITY; HOSPITAL WORKERS; DEPRESSION; ANXIETY; EPIDEMIC; QUARANTINE; SURVIVORS; HELP;
D O I
10.7717/peerj.10164
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is found to affect the mental health of the population. Undergraduate medical students are especially prone to mental health disorders and hence could be more vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 217 undergraduate medical students in a medical college at Chennai, India. Depression, anxiety, and stress levels were recorded using Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Items (DASS21) before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in India in December 2019 and June 2020, respectively. In the follow-up survey, in addition to DASS21, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to assess sleep quality and a self-administered questionnaire to assess the impact of COVID-19 related stressors were used. The self-administered questionnaire assessed the status of COVID-19 testing, interactions with COVID-19 patients, self-perceived levels of concerns and worries related to academics (COVID-19-AA (academic apprehensions)) and those pertaining to the self and family/friends (COVID-19-GA (general apprehensions)). Cross-sectional and longitudinal comparison of overall scores of depression, anxiety, and stress and scores stratified by gender, year of study, place of residence and monthly family income were performed. Predictors for depression, anxiety, and stress during COVID-19 were investigated using adjusted binary logistic regression analysis and results were expressed as adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The average scores of depression, anxiety, and stress during the baseline survey were 7.55 +/- 7.86, 4.6 +/- 6.19 and 7.31 +/- 7.34 with the prevalence (95% CI) of 33.2% [27-39.9%], 21.2% [16-27.2%] and 20.7% [15.5-26.7%]; in follow-up survey, the mean scores were 8.16 +/- 8.9, 6.11 +/- 7.13 and 9.31 +/- 8.18 with the prevalence being 35.5% [29.1-42.2%], 33.2% [27-39.9%] and 24.9% [19.3-31.2%] for depression, anxiety, and stress respectively. There was a significant increase in both the prevalence and levels of anxiety and stress (P < 0.001), with depression remaining unchanged during COVID-19, irrespective of gender, year of study, place of residence and family's monthly income. Poor sleep quality, higher levels of baseline depression, anxiety, and stress, higher COVID-19-GA, COVID-19 patients in family/friends and direct interactions with COVID-19 patients were found to be significant predictors of negative mental health in undergraduate medical students. COVID-19-AA was not significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic appears to negatively affect the mental health of the undergraduate medical students with the prevalence and levels of anxiety and stress being increased, and depression symptoms remaining unaltered. Addressing and mitigating the negative effect of COVID-19 on the mental health of this population is crucial.
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