Psychological Distress Among Medical Students During the COVID 19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Study

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.