Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- . Shreemathi S. Mayya
- . Arun Mayya 1
- . Maxie Martis 2
- . Vani Lakshmi R
- . Swayam Pragyan Parida
- . Prajna Paramita Giri
- . Dinesh Prasad Sahu
- . Bimal Kumar Sahoo
- . Sonu H. Subba
1 Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, A J Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
2 Nursing College, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Abstract
ntroduction: COVID‑19 has affected the quality of life of all age groups. Medical education during
the pandemic shifted to online mode due to lockdown restrictions. The stress felt by medical students
during the pandemic has been studied less. The current study aimed to assessed the stressors and
de‑stressors for undergraduate medical students during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Materials and methods: A cross‑sectional online survey was conducted for the undergraduate
medical students of a tertiary care institute of eastern India. A total of 307 medical students were
included in the study by convenient and snowball sampling. A self‑designed semi‑structural
questionnaire was created as a Google form and circulated among the students between September
and October 2020. A combination of purposive and snowball sampling was adopted. Responses
regarding stressors and de‑stressors were recorded on a Likert scale. Data analysis was performed
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Categorical variables were presented
as percentages and descriptive statistics were performed.
Results: A total of 307 students responded and 64.5% of them were men and 35.5% were women.
47.6% of the students experienced stress due to changes brought about by COVID‑19. Risk of parents
getting infection (63.2%), fear of not easily returning home (53.1%), lack of clinical exposure (52.7%),
and financial impact (47.9%) were the major stressors perceived by the students. Connecting with
family and friends through social media (47.5%), gaming (45.0%), online streaming platform (51.2%),
spending time with family members (54.4%) were the coping strategies adopted by these students.
Conclusion: Higher level of psychological stress perceived by the undergraduate students needs
psychological intervention. Academic revamp and adaptation of coping strategies are required for
the medical under‑graduates.
Keywords
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