Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal

Evaluation of healthcare-related factors influencing mental health of Taiwanese citizens among different age groups

The issue of mental health has gained heightened recognition as a significant public health concern due to its potential to significantly impact various aspects of individuals' lives. Numerous factors may influence mental health, and this study seeks to investigate and compare potential healthcare-related factors that affect the mental health of Taiwanese individuals across different age groups. Data for this study were taken from the Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS), conducted in 2021. Descriptive statistics were calculated to compare the three age groups. Then, multiple regression models were constructed with mental health conditions as the dependent variable and demographics and other key healthcare-related components as independent variables, respectively. Results showed that, among the three age groups, the middle-aged adults had the highest BMI, and the older adults had significantly better mental health. As compared with the other age groups, the older adults had significantly better perceptions of fair distribution of healthcare resources, and their trust in the healthcare system was the highest. With regard to searching for online healthcare information, the frequency reported by the older adults was the lowest. The regression model showed that, religious belief, trust in the healthcare system and searching for online healthcare information were significantly associated with mental health of middle-aged adults. In the younger group, searching for online healthcare information was significantly negatively associated with mental health. The study's findings provide insight into how to provide Taiwanese citizens of different age groups with proper and targeted mental health promotion activities.

Depression, anxiety, and stress in medical students in Peru: a cross-sectional study

Objective

To determine the prevalence and factors associated with depressive, anxious, and stress symptoms in medical students in Peru, during the second pandemic wave of COVID-19.

Methods

We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study in 405 medical students from a university in northern Peru. The DASS-21 instrument was used to evaluate mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress), and to investigate their association with socio-educational characteristics.

Results

We found a prevalence of depressive, anxious, and stress symptoms of 71.6% (95% CI: 66.94-75.95), 71.9% (95% CI: 67.2-76.2), and 62.7% (95% CI: 57.8-67.4); respectively. Students with eating behavior disorders had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 1.35), anxious symptoms (PR: 1.27), and stress symptoms (PR: 1.31). The prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 1.57), anxious symptoms (PR: 1.27), and stress symptoms (PR: 1.24) increased in students who did not report regular physical activity. In addition, having almost always academic exhaustion increased the prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 1.46), stress symptoms (PR: 1.72). On the contrary, the prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 0.79), anxious symptoms (PR: 0.73) and stress symptoms (PR: 0.82) decreased in male students. Students who reported sleeping 8 or more hours daily had a lower prevalence of stress symptoms (PR: 0.82).

Conclusion

Symptoms of depression and anxiety occurred in 7 out of 10 students, and stress in 6 out of 10. Among the factors associated with the presence of anxiety, depression, and stress were eating behavior disorder and not regularly exercising. Periodic evaluations of mental symptomatology are required and counseling should be promoted in medical schools.

Newborn Feeding Knowledge and Attitudes among Medical Students

This study sought to assess newborn feeding knowledge and attitudes among medical students. A sample of 649 Portuguese medical students completed an online survey containing a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Newborn Feeding Ability Questionnaire (NFA), and the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitudes Scale (IIFAS). The overall sample showed moderate scores for all variables. Gender analysis identified significant differences only for the dimension related to the benefits of skin-to-skin contact between mother and newborn where women scored higher. Analysis by year of training found that students with more years of training scored higher on all variables of newborn feeding knowledge that were positively correlated and were positive predictors of newborn feeding attitudes. Students with fewer years of training scored higher on work practices interfering with newborn feeding ability, which were negatively correlated and were negative predictors of newborn feeding attitudes. These results demonstrate that medical students with more years of training are the most prepared, however, the moderate results of the sample raise concerns. Our results point to the importance of providing medical students with adequate knowledge in order to influence their attitudes toward newborn feeding and contribute to better working practices for future health professionals.

Prevalence of pharmacological and non-pharmacological coping mechanisms for anxiety management during the COVID-19 pandemic: investigating the transition to online learning among medical students

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a devastating effect on college students worldwide. Here, the authors aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and its related coping strategies, provide a theoretical basis for understanding self-prescription, and identify the factors contributing to stress and anxiety in medical students during the pandemic.

METHODS

The authors conducted a cross-sectional study among medical students in Saudi Arabia from September to November 2020. They assessed anxiety using the GAD-7 scale based on seven core symptoms. The authors also examined perceived psychological stress using a single-item measure of stress, the factors contributing to stress during the transition to online learning and examinations, and related coping strategies. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 was used to examine the data for both descriptive and inferential analyses. Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and univariate linear regression were used to test the research hypotheses.

RESULTS

The authors collected and analyzed data from 7116 medical students distributed across 38 medical colleges. Among them, 40% reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. Pre-clinical and female students experienced more stress than clinical and male students. 12.19% (n = 868) of respondents reported using medication during their college years. Among those, 58.9% (n = 512) had moderate to severe anxiety, and the most commonly used drug was propranolol (45.4%, n = 394). Among the studied sample, 40.4% (n = 351) decreased their medication use after switching to online teaching. Most students used these medications during the final exam (35.8%, n = 311) and before the oral exam (35.5%, n = 308). In terms of coping strategies, males were much more likely to use substances than females, who mainly resorted to other strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a national overview of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of medical students. The results indicated that the pandemic is associated with highly significant levels of anxiety. These findings can provide theoretical evidence for the need for supportive psychological assistance from academic leaders in this regard.

The Association between Fear of COVID-19 and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Greek General Population

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the level of fear related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the association of fear, and of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A large sample of the Greek general population (N = 583) completed the validated versions of the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19s) and the 12-item Short Form (SF-12), and provided data on socio-demographic status, health history and COVID-19 protective behaviors. Variables were compared with Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests and associations with Spearman’s correlations. Gamma regression models investigated the influence of sociodemographic and COVID-related variables on HRQoL. The mean FCV-19s score for the sample was 18.3 ± 5.6, and physical and mental component summary scores were 50.2 ± 7.9 and 46.7 ± 10.1, respectively. More fear of COVID-19 was expressed by females (p < 0.001), individuals with comorbidities (p < 0.01), those with contacts with comorbidities (p < 0.001), and individuals not having caught COVID-19 (p < 0.05). Contrastingly, less fear was expressed by unvaccinated individuals and those with less frequent intake of information about the pandemic. Item level and overall FCV-19s scores were negatively associated with SF-12 summary scores, and fear of COVID-19 was the most important predictor of both physical and mental HRQoL. The findings from this and other similar studies could help to identify specific population groups in need of interventions to improve their physical and mental health, which had deteriorated due to the pandemic.

A study on the mental health of students at a medical school during COVID-19 outbreak: a retrospective study

Background

In this study, the degree of anxiety, depression, and stress caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was identified, as well as the need for psychological prevention measures among medical students in the Daegu region that was designated the first special disaster area due to the spread of COVID-19.

Methods

The subjects of this study were 318 medical students in Daegu who voluntarily participated in an online test using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Impact of Event Scale-Revised Korean version. As a result of the test, risk students received immediate telephone counseling, and the effect of this telephone counseling was analyzed.

Results

There were no differences in depression, anxiety, or stress according to gender and grade. As a result of immediate telephone counseling for risk students, significant differences were found in depression, anxiety, and stress, and the counseling was found to be effective.

Conclusion

For medical students who are easily exposed to stress, the importance of psychological prevention measures and effectiveness of non-face-to-face counseling should be recognized. In the field of medical education, we must do our best to build a system that can be used immediately at the appropriate time for these programs.

The Appraisal of Self-Care Agency Scale-Revised (ASAS-R): Reliability and Validity among Portuguese Medical Students

Self-care agency plays an important role in an individual's health. Considering the particularities of their education, it can be a protective factor for the mental health of medical students. This study aims to validate the Portuguese version of the Appraisal of Self-care Agency Scale-Revised (ASAS-R) in Portuguese medical students. A cross-sectional, quantitative, and analytical online study was conducted between 23 April 2021, and 15 July 2021. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to test the internal structure of the ASAS-R. Correlations with the SHS (Subjective Happiness Scale), SWLS (Satisfaction with Life Scale), and MHI (Mental Health Inventory) were calculated using Pearson's coefficient so as to test convergent validity. Internal consistency was evaluated using inter-item correlation, corrected item-total correlation, and Cronbach's alpha. The total sample included 781 individuals. EFA yielded a 3-factor solution accounting for 53.9% of the explained variance. Pearson's coefficients obtained between the 3 factors of ASAS-R and the total scores of the 3 construct-related scales demonstrated adequate convergent validity. Total Cronbach's alpha value was 0.85, while the Cronbach's alpha of the three factors was 0.81, 0.55, and 0.83, respectively. This study demonstrated that ASAS-R is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring self-care agency among Portuguese medical students.

Somatization symptoms-prevalence and risk, stress and resilience factors among medical and dental students at a mid-sized German university

Objective

Previous studies have shown that an increased prevalence of mental illness can be found among medical and dental students. Among these, somatization symptoms are severely understudied. The present study examined the prevalence of somatization symptoms in a subpopulation of medical and dental students and aimed at finding associated risk and resilience factors.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-reporting questionnaire, including the SOMS-2, the Becks-Depression-Inventory-II (BDI-II), the NEO-Five-Factor-Inventory, and a questionnaire on socio-demographics for possible risk and resilience factors. A total of 271 medical and dental students of a mid-sized German university completed the questionnaire.

Results

The Somatization index yielded a mean of 9.12 symptoms for the total sample, which is 1.2 SD higher than the reported norm. A total of 50.7% of the medical students and 63.6% of the dental students transcend a critical somatization score. Significant positive associations for eight general risk factors, four university related stress factors, and a significant negative association for seven resilience factors were found.

Conclusion

Medical and even more dental students at the studied university showed a high burden of somatoform complaints. Also, factors were found that could be of etiological relevance and others that could be used to enhance resilience. Both could present an opportunity for the prevention of somatization disorders but prospective and multicenter studies with an aged-matched comparison group are needed to obtain a more accurate overview.

Psychological impact and stress factors among Ha'il medical students post COVID19 pandemic

The current COVID-19 pandemic frightfully threatened the whole world, and people in different countries were demanded to be quarantined due to possible contact with the infection. High mortality rate, the spread of COVID19 and the propagation of fake news in social media programs created fear and anxiety among majority of society especially, medical students. One of the most essential changes during the covid-19 was the termination of teaching lectures in physical presence and its replacement by virtual online lectures. Circumstances like these have negative impact on the mental health of medical students. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on medical students' learning and the effect of distressing situation they experienced, psychological and educational variables specifically during return to physical attendance in college and the impact of these variables of probably affecting factors like age, gender, marital status, transition of preclinical years to clinical years. A Cross-sectional study was completed among medical students at UOH, KSA. The data are collected by distributing an online questionnaire. Statistical analysis has been done with Microsoft Power BI. 14.82% of 5th year female participants were unable to stop worrying for different things while 10.54% of male participant were in the 1st year. Large numbers of students who have increased the number of times they wash their hands are found in med3 and med4 while 27.92% agree and 29.05% strongly agree of whole years of study. 45.29% of students were having mental pressure before online session due to internet connection while 51.55% had decreased motivation since the shift to online learning. Data shows that highest numbers of participants who were having past illness and anxious were in age group 21-23 in both male and female. The majority of students was having fear toward returning in physical presence and preferred not to have on- college education. Hence, it is recommended to encourage students and reduce stress by providing with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) course.