The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health in Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in Italy.

Psychol Rep

Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Torino, Italy; Clinical Psychology Unit, A.O.U. City of Health and Science of Torino, Italy.

Published: April 2024

This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress symptoms in Italian medical students and to identify the associated factors. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to second-sixth year medical students of the University of Torino, collecting data on the students' sociodemographics, COVID-19 exposure, anxiety, depression and stress symptoms. Three hierarchical regressions adjusted for age, gender and year of study were executed. The sample size was 1359. The prevalence of anxiety, depression symptoms, moderate perceived stress and severe perceived stress was 47.8%, 52.1%, 56.2% and 28.4%, respectively. The factors associated with mental health symptoms were: being a woman, a family history of psychiatric disorders, living off-site, competitive/hostile climates and unsatisfying friendships among classmates, poor relationships with cohabitants, negative judgment of medical school choice, fear of COVID-19 infection, feelings of loneliness, distressing existential reflections, and a worsening psychological condition related to the pandemic. Being in the fourth or sixth year constituted a protective factor for depression symptoms. Mental health in medical students was associated with both COVID-independent and COVID-related factors. Accessibility to effective interventions must be increased to counteract these changes.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9500427PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00332941221127632DOI Listing

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