Depression among Medical Students of a Medical College in Nepal during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Depression is a common mental disorder. Medical school is a stressful environment. The outbreak of COVID-19 has added to the plight of medical students. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of depression among medical students of a medical college in Nepal during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a medical college in Nepal from August 2020 to September 2020. The sample size of our study was 223. A convenient sampling method was adopted for the selection of respondents. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Committee (Reference no:321). The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. The study instrument consisted of the Patient Health Questionnaire and socio-demographic information. RESULTS: Out of 223 participants, the prevalence of depression was seen among 52 (23.3%) (17.7%-28.9% at 95% Confidence Interval) students in our study. Among them, 25 (48.1%) females and 27 (51.9%) males were depressed. The prevalence of depression was higher in preclinical years (first and second year) than in clinical years (third, fourth and final year). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depression among medical students in Nepal during the pandemic was less than the findings of similar studies conducted in Nepal before the pandemic. Further studies are required to get more knowledge about the factors associated with mental health of medical students.

Socio-psychological Study of COVID-19 Pandemic among Healthcare Workers in a Medical College of Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Health care workers experienced considerable psychological distress as a result of COVID-19 due to providing direct patient care, quarantine or self-isolation, and lockdown experience. They are front line workers handling the patients and are at greater risk than others. This study aims to determine the socio-psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers of a medical college in Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study from different institutions of the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences from May 2020 to July 2020 was conducted. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee, Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences. A total of 212 responses were collected through Google form along with the Depression, anxiety, stress and scale-21 to assess the level of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. Analysis of the data was done using Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 22. RESULTS: Respondents with extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress was found to be 16 (7.5%), 24 (11.3%), and 4 (1.95%) respectively. Most of the respondents do not have travel history, but 6 (2.8%) and 28 (13.2%) have direct and indirect contact respectively with the COVID patients. Daily activities such as food intake, the workload at home, and relationships with family members were increased. 208 (98%) have followed preventive measures such as mouth mask, hand washes, and physical distance. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a significant level of depression, anxiety, and stress on health care workers caring for infected patients, with their main concern being the risk of transmitting the infection to their families or acquiring it themselves.