Religiosity, stress, and depressive symptoms among nursing and medical students during the middle stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Morocco.

Background: Recent studies on nursing and medical students showed a higher prevalence of depression and stress than the general population. Religiosity and spirituality are common in Muslim countries and are usually used as a means of coping strategy for psychological and mental disorders. Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the association between religious actions, depressive symptoms, and stress among students of nursing education lasting 3 years and students from the first 3 years of medical education lasting 7 years. The study was conducted at Ibn Zohr University of Agadir, Morocco. Method: A sample of different stages of nursing and medical students was recruited. Religiosity was assessed by Muslim Belief into Action (M.BIAC) scale. The depressive symptoms and stress were, respectively, assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results: Four hundred and thirteen students participated in this study. Our results showed a high prevalence of depressive symptoms (62.2%) and stress (66.8%). The depression scores were higher in the following subsample categories: students in the first 2 years of studies, female medical students, and nursing students with significant differences. The recorded religiosity was greater among students without depression compared to students with depression (p < 0.001). In the multivariate regression, the BIAC score demonstrated religiosity as neither a risk factor nor a protective factor of depression. Conclusion: Religiosity constitutes a protective factor of depression and stress among nursing and medical students. This should improve the student's ability to cope with stressful situations during their training. Prospective studies are needed to further investigate this association and how religiosity improves mental health. This would contribute to improved academic performance and wellbeing among medical and nursing students.

[Acute psychotic episodes related to the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Les accès psychotiques aigus liés à la pandémie COVID-19.

The world is currently going through an extremely stressful time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This exceptional and alarming situation could increase the incidence of mental health problems, including acute psychotic disorders. Our observation reports two cases of patients with an acute psychotic episode, with a delusional theme related to the coronavirus pandemic. The two patients, who did not have a previous history of psychiatric disorders, were hospitalized in our psychiatry department, after the start of mandatory sanitary confinement in our country. The clinical symptoms found were mainly a hallucinatory syndrome and a delusional syndrome with a religious theme, and delusional ideas centered on COVID-19. This case report suggests that intense psychosocial stress, caused by the current global crisis and confinement measures, may be a trigger for new-onset psychotic episodes, and impact the clinical and delusional expression of acute psychosis.

[Tuberculous meningoencephalitis revealed by psychiatric disorders: about a case]. / Méningo-encéphalite tuberculeuse révélée par des troubles psychiatriques: à propos d'un cas.

Tuberculous meningoencephalitis is fairly frequent in endemic countries and it is the most severe form of tuberculosis. Therapeutic failure is common because of diagnostic delay. This delay is primarily due to a wide clinical polymorphism and, in particular, to misleading forms. We here report a rare clinical case of tuberculous meningitis in a patient in prodromal phase of psychosis.