Investigation on mental health status of medical students in clerkship of a university during the pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 / 中华医学教育探索杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the psychological status of medical students in clerkship during the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), analyze the psychological status characteristics and influencing factors of them, and provide an effective basis for carrying out corresponding mental health education and countermeasures.Methods:The survey was conducted on clerkship medical students in the form of questionnaires, including self-made general status questionnaires, symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90) and social support rate scale (SSRS). Statistical analysis was made on above data, chi-square test was used for rates comparison, t test was for comparison between groups, and Spearman correlation analysis was conducted. Results:The survey obtained 359 valid questionnaires, 18.38% of medical students had different aspects of psychological problems. There was no statistical difference between male and female. For those who knew that there was free psychological counseling for the COVID-19, the levels of three factors, such as compulsive symptoms, anxiety, and hostility, were lower than those of the others who didn't know that [(1.30 ± 0.44) vs. (1.41±0.55), (1.19±0.30) vs. (1.26±0.42), (1.17±0.35) vs. (1.26±0.44), P < 0.05]. SSRS results showed that male students had lower social support availability than female students [(7.46±2.03) vs. (8.10±2.06), P=0.004], and except for somatization, other SCL-90 factors scores of the students were negatively correlated with SSRS scores. Conclusion:During the pandemic, medical students in clerkship have a certain degree of psychological problems, which are negatively related to social support, suggesting that these medical students' mental health can be improved by improving social support.