Anxiety and depression during post covid-19 lockdown period among medical students, and it's relation with stress and smartphone addiction in India.

OBJECTIVES: Medical profession, a competitive and ever-updating field which requires great commitment, imposes a stressful environment for students. Our study aimed to find the prevalence and factors associated with psychological illness. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was done among medical students in Puducherry. A stratified random sampling strategy was incorporated to achieve a calculated sample size of 384. The presence of anxiety and depression, perceived stress and addiction to the phone were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Smartphone Addiction Scale - short version. Prevalence of anxiety and depression was summarized as a proportion with a 95 % confidence interval (CI). The prevalence ratio (PR) for the factors associated was estimated using log-binomial regression. RESULTS: With the response from 383 students, the prevalence of anxiety and depression was 39.4 % (95 %CI: 34.5-44.3 %) and 26.6 % (22.2-31.1 %). Perceived stress was moderate in 68.2 % and high in 14 % of students. Higher age (aPR=1.49), female gender (aPR=1.22), tobacco or alcohol use (aPR=1.24), smartphone addiction (aPR=2.09) and high stress (aPR=1.93) were the predictors of anxiety among medical students in our study. Use of tobacco or alcohol (aPR=2.07), smartphone addiction (aPR=1.96) and high stress (aPR=1.72) were the predictors of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety was more prevalent than depression among the medical students. Use of tobacco or alcohol, smartphone addiction and stress increase the risk of psychological morbidity. Medical training should have a module on coping mechanisms to overcome psychological illness and have better mental well-being.

Prevalence of Phantom Vibrations and Ringing Syndrome, and its Association with Smartphone Addiction among Medical Students of Teaching Hospital, South India.

INTRODUCTION: Phantom vibration syndrome (PVS) and phantom ringing syndrome (PRS) is a false sensation of phone vibration and ringing when it is not. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PVS/PRS among medical students and to determine factors including level of smartphone usage associated with the development of phantom sensations. METHODS: Using cross-sectional analytical design, sociodemographic details, information on phantom sensations and phone usage among medical students in our institution in Puducherry, India, was obtained. Stratified random sampling strategy was incorporated to achieve a sample size of 369. Also, overuse of phone was assessed using Smartphone Addiction scale - short version (SAS-SV). Prevalence of PVS and PRS was summarized as a proportion with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Prevalence ratio for the factors associated with the phantom syndrome (PVS/PRS) was estimated using log-binomial regression. RESULTS: Using data from 383 students, the prevalence of phantom syndrome (PVS/PRS) was 44.9% (39.9-50.0%). PVS was more prevalent than PRS (27.9% vs 21.2%). There was a significant difference in SAS-SV scores between those with the phantom syndrome and those without. Students who stay in hostel (aPR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.46 to 2.43), self-reported overuse of phone (aPR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.56 to 2.45) and higher smartphone addiction score (aPR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.53) were found to be significant determinants to have PVS/PRS. CONCLUSION: Overall, one in two medical students had either PVS or PRS in our institution, Puducherry. Higher smartphone usage was a significant predictor of the presence of PVS/PRS.