Psychological Implications of The Late Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic among Medical Undergraduates, Attending Clinical Wards Rotations in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Rawalpindi, Pakistan: An Online Survey-Based Study

COVID-19 is proving to be a double-edged sword for health care professionals. It is not only causing physical malfunctioning but mental suffering among medical undergraduates. This study demonstrates the psychological impact and various predisposing factors causing mental distress. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 157 medical undergraduates of Third, Fourth, and Final year MBBS being trained in tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi, Pakistan in September 2020, when the graph of COVID-19 was flattening. Data was collected through a self-designed questionnaire for demographic details and DASS-21. The mean and standard deviation was calculated for depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for the severity of DASS-21 and predisposing factors. Data analysis was done through SPSS. V. 25. Out of 157 students, there were 80(51%) males and 77 (49%) females. The mean age was 22.52 (SD=1.60). The overall mean score of anxiety was 7.43 ± 4.53, depression was 7.75 ± 4.12, and stress was 8.15 ± 4.53. This study found that the most common reason for stress and anxiety among students attending wards was the fear that they might infect their family members 42 (26.8%), followed by the fear of getting infected themselves 39 (24.8%). This study doesn’t exhibit a significant mental burden of grave concern however, the anxiety level was high among the Third year and depression level was high among Final year students. Fear of infecting family members and contracting the virus themselves were common reasons for distress.