The Mental Health Status and Associated Factors Among Medical Students Engaged in Online Learning at Home During the Pandemic

A Cross-Sectional Study From China

Bibliographic Data

ID15524944
AuthorsWeiwei Chang (Wannan Medical College), Wei-wei Chang, Liu-xia Shi (Wannan Medical College), Liu Zhang (0000-0001-6064-8771, Honghu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Yuelong Jin (0000-0003-1505-4434, Wannan Medical College, corresponding author), Yue-long Jin, Jiegen Yu (0000-0001-5658-4920, Wannan Medical College, corresponding author), Jie-gen Yu
Year2021
Volume12
Pages755503-755503
Publication date2021-12-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2021.755503
PMID35002796
OpenAlexW4200172994
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited55

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the mental health status of medical students engaged in online learning at home during the pandemic, and explore the potential risk factors of mental health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey among 5,100 medical students from Wannan Medical College in China. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS-21) was used to measure self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among medical students during online learning in the pandemic. Results: In total, 4,115 participants were included in the study. The prevalence symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were 31.9, 32.9, and 14.6%, respectively. Depression was associated with gender, grade, length of schooling, relationship with father, students' daily online learning time, and students' satisfaction with online learning effects. Anxiety was associated with gender, length of schooling, relationship with father, relationship between parents, students' daily online learning time, and students' satisfaction with online learning effects. Stress was associated with grade, relationship with father, relationship between parents, students' daily online learning time, and students' satisfaction with online learning effects. Conclusions: Nearly one-third of medical students survived with varying degrees of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms during online learning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender, grade, length of schooling, family environment, and online learning environment play vital roles in medical students' mental health. Families and schools should provide targeted psychological counseling to high-risk students (male, second-year and third-year, four-year program). The findings of this study can provide reference for educators to cope with the psychological problems and formulate the mental health curriculum construction among medical students during online learning

Anxiety · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · DASS · Depression (economics · Disease · Mental health · Pandemic · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Health and Well-being Studies · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Psychology