A Study on Perception of Stress Among First-Year Medical Undergraduates During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Medical students have been reported to suffer from a higher degree of perceived stress compared to the age-matched population doing other courses. Stress caused by the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, lockdown, and the consequent shift of teaching methods to digital format has further compounded the stress associated with pursuing the medical curriculum. Aims and Objectives: Our study aimed to assess perceived stress among first-year MBBS students during COVID-19 induced lockdown using a self-administered Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire. Materials and Methods: A total of 108 first-year MBBS students in the 18–25 years age group of both sexes were administered a 10-item questionnaire: PSS-10 during 2 months from June-July 2021and depending on their scores of PSS were divided into three groups Group A, B, and C signifying mild, moderate, and severe stress perceived by them, respectively. The continuous variables are presented as mean ± standard deviation and the categorical variables as proportions. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the data between continuous variables in the three groups. Result: There was a statistically significant difference in the PSS scores between the three groups when a comparison was done (P < 0.05). A larger segment of the first-year medical students undergoing medical curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic were found to be moderately (63%) to severely (4%) stressed. Conclusion: Our study suggested that the stress induced by the pandemic in addition to the stressors associated with undertaking medical courses creates a highly stressful environment for the medical students predisposing them to significant psychological morbidity.