Depression Among Medical Students in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The role of Communication Between Universities and Their Students

Abstract

Objective: Medical students are vulnerable to stress and depression during medical school, and the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated these issues. This study examined whether depression risk was associated with COVID-19 pandemic-related medical school communication. Methods: A 144-item pilot cross-sectional online survey of medical students in the US, between September 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2020. Items on stress, depression, and communication between students and their medical schools were included. This study examined associations of student perceptions of universities’ communication efforts and pandemic response with risk of developing depression. Results: The sample included 212 students from 22 US states. Almost half (48.6%) were at risk of developing depression. Students felt medical schools transitioned well to online platforms and the curriculum was just as rigorous as in-person courses. Students at risk of developing depression reported communication was poor more frequently compared to students at average risk. Students at risk of depression were more than 3 times more likely to report their universities’ communication about scholarships or other funding was poor in adjusted analyses. Conclusions: Universities communicated well with medical students during the pandemic. However, this study also highlights the need for ongoing efforts to address student mental health by medical schools.

Is Satisfaction with Online Learning Related to Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia Symptoms? A Cross-Sectional Study on Medical Undergraduates in Romania

“…Depression, anxiety, and insomnia were identified as negatively associated with online learning satisfaction, a finding also reported in previous literature [ 32 , 35 ]. In contrast, the average number of hours studying spent online was identified as a positive predictor.…”

“…Therefore, there is a need for a detailed understanding of the impact of online learning satisfaction on students’ psychopathology which can provide important insights for education professionals and mental health researchers. The overall satisfaction with online learning compared with the classical variant of learning should take into consideration not only the external variables, such as reducing commute costs, saving travel time, flexibility, freedom of action of students, and preventing academic tardiness, as seen in previous studies, but also individual, detailed, self-reported psychopathology, as we aimed to achieve in our study [ 35 ]. Some of these variables have already been described in very recent literature, but without emphasis on psychopathology [ 36 , 37 , 38 ].…”

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“…13 In a survey of 1,428 students across 40 U. S. medical schools, 30.6 and 24.3% of respondents were found to have anxiety and depression, respectively, which was consistent with other U.S. studies. 18,19 During the COVID-19 pandemic, high rates of medical students' anxiety and depression, albeit lower than Syria's, were reported elsewhere in the world as well, including Kuwait, 20 Libya, 21 India, 22 the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 23 and Pakistan. 24 Neighboring Lebanon did not suffer from a war in this past decade but did suffer from some of the repercussions of Syria's conflict, along with Lebanon's own political and security challenges.…”

Medical Students Will Take Care of the People, We Need to Take Care of Them

“… 13 In a survey of 1,428 students across 40 U.S. medical schools, 30.6 and 24.3% of respondents were found to have anxiety and depression, respectively, which was consistent with other U.S. studies. 18 19 During the COVID-19 pandemic, high rates of medical students' anxiety and depression, albeit lower than Syria's, were reported elsewhere in the world as well, including Kuwait, 20 Libya, 21 India, 22 the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 23 and Pakistan. 24 Neighboring Lebanon did not suffer from a war in this past decade but did suffer from some of the repercussions of Syria's conflict, along with Lebanon's own political and security challenges.…”