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COVID-19 Pandemic Affects the Medical Students’ Learning Process and Assaults Their Psychological Wellbeing

Author

Listed:
  • Marium Aftab

    (Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan)

  • Alsaleem Mohammed Abadi

    (Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Guraiger, Abha 6252, Saudi Arabia)

  • Shamsun Nahar

    (Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Guraiger, Abha 6252, Saudi Arabia)

  • Razia Aftab Ahmed

    (Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Guraiger, Abha 6252, Saudi Arabia)

  • Syed Esam Mahmood

    (Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Guraiger, Abha 6252, Saudi Arabia)

  • Manik Madaan

    (KIMS Medical College Bangalore, Bengaluru 560004, India)

  • Ausaf Ahmad

    (Department of Community Medicine, IIMSR, Integral University, Kursi Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226026, India)

Abstract

Background: With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are living within a milieu of stress, anxiety, and fear. Medical students are susceptible to these emotional injuries, but their psychological wellbeing and learning may further be assaulted by future uncertainties and altered teaching and training programs. Our objective was to find the extent of the psychological impact of the pandemic and the learning difficulties they are experiencing; Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 418 undergraduate and postgraduate medical students from all over the world. A questionnaire was uploaded in Google survey form. It included background characteristics, questions for psychiatric impact like PHQ-9, GAD-7, ZF-OCS, and questions for learning difficulties perceived in comparison to the pre-pandemic time. Results: Among participants, 34.9% of students were male and 65.1% female. Around 46.4% belonged to the WHO, Eastern Mediterranean region, 26.8% from South East Asia region, 17.5% from the region of America, 5.5% from the European region,2.2%from the Western Pacific region, and 1.7% from the African region. Symptoms due to psychiatric illness were noticed in 393 (93.1%); depression in 386 (92.3%), anxiety in 158 (37.8%), obsessive compulsion disorder in 225 (53.8%), and post-traumatic stress syndrome in 129 (39.9%). Female gender, geographical region, and history of previous psychiatric illness were significantly related to almost all the psychiatric illnesses. Regarding learning difficulty, 96% of students faced problems: trouble with memorizing in 54.0%, concentration problems in 67.0%, about 55.5% of students made more mistakes, while 44.5% noted an increase in reaction time for solving questions. In addition, 90% experienced greater difficulty in overall learning during the pandemic in comparison to the pre-pandemic time. Conclusion: Assault on psychological wellbeing, struggling to memorize, inattention and difficulty in concentration on studies, along with perceived overall trouble with learning, have emerged as collateral damage from the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to medical students.

Suggested Citation

  • Marium Aftab & Alsaleem Mohammed Abadi & Shamsun Nahar & Razia Aftab Ahmed & Syed Esam Mahmood & Manik Madaan & Ausaf Ahmad, 2021. "COVID-19 Pandemic Affects the Medical Students’ Learning Process and Assaults Their Psychological Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-14, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:11:p:5792-:d:564051
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sui-Qing Chen & Shu-Dan Chen & Xing-Kai Li & Jie Ren, 2020. "Mental Health of Parents of Special Needs Children in China during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Hong Yan Li & Hui Cao & Doris Y. P. Leung & Yim Wah Mak, 2020. "The Psychological Impacts of a COVID-19 Outbreak on College Students in China: A Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-11, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pingting Zhu & Ting Xu & Huiwen Xu & Qiaoying Ji & Wen Wang & Meiyan Qian & Guanghui Shi, 2023. "Relationship between Anxiety, Depression and Learning Burnout of Nursing Undergraduates after the COVID-19 Epidemic: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-12, February.
    2. Marianna Alesi & Giulia Giordano & Ambra Gentile & Barbara Caci, 2023. "The Switch to Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Interplay between Personality and Mental Health on University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-15, March.

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