Graduate Medical Students’ Mental Health Concerns During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Medical students are more likely than the general population to experience perceived stress during the pandemic due to many variables. This study aimed to evaluate the stress levels and prevalence of different mental health conditions among graduate medical students in Al Kharj City. An anonymous online survey was conducted among graduate medical students of Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU). For this investigation, the following scales were used to measure the prevalence of common mental health issues: DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Adult (CCSM-A); Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10-C), to measure COVID-19-related student stress; and the COVID-19 Student Stress Questionnaire to get the global stress score (GSS). Two hundred twenty-one students were contacted, and 214(96.8%) consented to participate in the study. According to the CCSM-A scale, anxiety (73%) and depressive symptoms (71%) were the most frequently reported symptoms by the students. After correcting for age and self-perceived COVID-19 risk, there was a significant relationship between anger, suicidal ideation, and substance use, on one hand, and the study year on the other graduate medical students who have mental health issues bear a heavy load. In the post-pandemic recovery period, regular mental health assessments and providing early and adequate mental health assistance to needy people are imperative.

Keywords

• medical students
• covid-19
• mental health