Abstract

Background

Anxiety, depression, and stress are more prevalent in medical students than in the general population. With the addition of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing guidelines, it will be pivotal to see its effects on medical students' mental health during their didactic years.

Study Design

110 students were enrolled in the study and completed the previously validated Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) in May 2021. Participants were instructed to complete the questionnaire to reflect their perceptions before March 2020 (pre-COVID) and current perceptions.  Additional non-DASS questions assessed students' academic performance, self-determined sense of isolation, and fear of harmful effects of the virus during COVID-19. May 2021 and pre-COVID responses were compared and results were assessed using a t-test.

Results

On average, stress, anxiety, and depression all significantly increased. Stress and depression increased in severity from moderate to severe categorically. Anxiety increased significantly as well. Per DASS, anxiety was categorized as extremely severe before the pandemic. Students endorsed the pandemic as having implications on academic performance, feelings of isolation, and fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus towards group settings or activities.

Conclusion

Overall, a positive association was identified between the COVID-19 pandemic and increased depression, anxiety, and stress within the medical student population. We anticipate future changes as guidelines such as mask mandates and social distancing continue to evolve. We recommend the results of this survey be interpreted with caution as we could not control for increasing academic rigor advancing through the curriculum, and all survey responses were retrospective.