COVID-19 ; Medical students ; Mental health ; Stress coping
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on areas
of Korean medical students’ lives, assess concerns, and investigate the strategies they used to cope with
stress due to the pandemic. An online survey with a total of 53 items on the impact of COVID-19, concerns,
and coping strategies was sent to medical students, and responses were collected from April 27, 2021
to May 30, 2021. In total, 1,329 students were included in the study. Analysis was performed using the
chi-square test, independent-sample t-test, and one-way analysis of variance, and the post-hoc Scheffé test
or Games-Howell test was performed for multiple comparisons. The main negative impacts of the pandemic
were on hobbies/leisure activities and mental health, and medical students expressed the highest levels
of concern regarding restriction of movement, returning to everyday life, and risk of infection for family
and friends. Female students more strongly agreed that COVID-19 had increased their depressed mood
and anxiety (p<0.001 and p=0.003, respectively). Furthermore, the negative impacts of the pandemic on
different areas of life significantly affected current levels of depressed mood and anxiety. To cope with
pandemic-related stress, students used several strategies such as talking with family or friends (91.5%),
sleeping (83.1%), exercising (72.8%), using social networking services (60.8%), drinking alcohol (37.8%),
and practicing meditation/mindfulness (24.4%); the effectiveness of these strategies ranged from 3.45 to
4.19 on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1–5). The study findings suggest that COVID-19 has influenced the
mental health of medical students and raised concerns in many areas of their lives. Students used various
strategies to cope with the pandemic-related stress; since the effectiveness of frequently used approaches
varied, it is essential to guide medical students to develop effective coping strategies