Impact of sudden change to online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of medical students using the DASS-21 scale

Abstract

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced almost every aspect of life, education being no exception. The sudden shift of teaching and learning using virtual methods was not an easy task. While medicine needs not just knowledge but also skills there were many questions regarding the efficacy of online classes. Aims: To study the impact of the sudden change of teaching method on the mental health of medical students using the DASS 21 questionnaires. Methods and Material: It was a cross-sectional study. This study was done among the 1 st , 2 nd and 3rd-year medical students over a period of 5 months. Pre-structured DASS-21 questionnaire was used to assess the mental health of these students. We have excluded all the students who already had a history of anxiety, stress, and depression before the corona virus pandemic. Results: Out of 122 students, 34 (27.9%) were males and 86 (70.5%) belonged to the age group 18-21 years. Depression, Anxiety and stress were more among the 1 st MBBS students. Conclusions: Sudden changes in the mode of teaching are not easily accepted by the students. The transition should be well-planned.