Psychological Implications of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and Lockdown among Undergraduate Medical Students of North India

Abstract

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently an international public health crisis. The Indian government had announced the suspension of colleges indefinitely across India. Students of medical colleges are facing distress due to the abrupt disruption of academic routine. Objectives: The study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate medical students of a medical college of North India during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a medical college in North India. Data were collected via a prevalidated, semi-structured questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic and behavioral questions and three standard psychometric scales, i.e., Perceived Stress Scale, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, and Major Depression Inventory Scale for assessing stress, anxiety, and depression, respectively. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 27.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: We reported that majority of students (86.5%) have increased social media usage. The level of stress is moderate (72.5%) to high (19%), and depression is also reported in many students from moderate (11%) to severe (17.8%) levels. A small proportion of students showed anxiety though anxiety scores are significantly higher for males than females and for 1st- and 2nd-year subjects than final-year subjects. More than 60% of students are physically active who also showed a low level of stress, depression, and anxiety than sedentary subjects. Conclusion: Our results show that stress, anxiety, and depression were high in medical students during lockdown. Increased food intake and social media usage were risk factors for developing stress, anxiety, and depression. Physical activity has a positive impact on mental health of the students.

Keywords

• anxiety
• coronavirus disease 2019
• depression
• medical students
• psychology
• stress