Abstract:
Medical students had to cope with numerous challenges during the COVID-19
pandemic. Such challenges are known to result in significant psychological distress
and psychiatric disorder. We conducted a quantitative study among the first three
batches of medical students from the Faculty of Medicine, Sabaragamuwa University
of Sri Lanka, as part of a larger study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
medical students. The study period was from December 2021 to March 2022 and was
conducted electronically using a self-administered questionnaire, Kessler
Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and a visual analogue scale delivered via Google
Forms. All first (n=110), second (n=75), and third-year students (n=70) were
requested to participate. The response rates were 74.5 % (82) for the first year 97.3 %
(73) for the second year, and 61.4 % (43) for third-year students, totaling 198. 66.2 %
(131) of responders were females. 56.1% (111) agreed/strongly agreed that the
pandemic had an adverse effect on their studies. 53.6 % (106) reported difficulties in
adapting to online teaching and learning, 36.9 % (73) reported a lack of facilities for
online learning, and 48 % (95) reported poor internet reception. Social media was a
distracter for studies in 61.6 % (122). 18-25% of the sample reported psychological
distress most of the day during the pandemic in the form of depressive and anxiety
symptoms. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) revealed that 109 (55%) of the
sample was in distress at the time. 59 (30%) scored five and below on the visual
analogue scale for happiness. No significant association was found with the year of
study, previous illness or gender. Our results highlight significant psychological
distress endured by students during faculty closure and when they return to the
University, thus highlighting the need to establish systems to offer psychological
support.
