Depression and Anxiety among Iranian Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: COVID-19 has spread throughout the world and has become a global pandemic. This situation can cause psychological distress among people, especially health care workers. This study aimed to determine depression and anxiety levels among Iranian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Method: In this cross sectional study, we designed an online survey of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires. The survey link was sent to 500 medical clerks and interns studying at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).
 Results: A total of 64.6% of the students completed the survey. The prevalence of mild to severe anxiety and depression among them was 38.1% and 27.6%, respectively. Anxiety and changes in sleep patterns were the most common symptoms. Higher levels of anxiety were related to female gender, lower grade point average (GPA), and experience of COVID-19 symptoms. Students with lower GPA and prior experience of COVID-19 symptoms were more likely to feel depressed.
 Conclusion: Depression and anxiety did not significantly differ among Iranian medical students before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Somatic symptoms of depression are more common during this pandemic and need particular attention in future similar situations. A higher GPA is related to lower anxiety and depression among medical students.

Determinants of household vulnerability to food insecurity during COVID-19 lockdown in a mid-term period in Iran

“…Psychological distress, depression, anxiety and stress experienced by people can weaken their potential to struggle with this pandemic disease in longterm period. Although some studies showed that anxiety and depression did not significantly differ among some communities in Iran (among Iranian medical students as the case study) in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (31,32) , but our results demonstrated that this negative effect of inappropriate psychological aspect may increase households' vulnerability with the passing of time as other contended (33) . The existence of families' tensions during the quarantine period was determined as a most important factor of mental health and psychological aspect in increasing the households' vulnerability to food insecurity during COVID-19 outbreak.…”

Mental Health Status of Healthcare Professionals and Students of Health Sciences Faculties in Kuwait during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Although the type of chronic disease was not investigated in this study, other studies reported a significant association between history of mental illness and anxiety during COVID-19 outbreak among university students [ 10 , 65 , 66 ]. Female students showed higher depression and anxiety rates, which is consistent with results reported in Iran [ 41 ]. A previous study in Kuwait also reported a significant difference in stress rates among female compared to male students [ 15 ].…”

“…Alternatively, it could be that social media use increased among students due to greater availability of free time during the lockdown, resulting in a negative affect via the updated COVID-19 news and cases. In the context of depression, the current study reported higher rates (72.2%) than Jordan (38.5%) and Iran (27.6%) [ 41 , 49 ]. This could be related to the fact that in Jordan and Iran the universities used remote learning methods instantly, whereas in Kuwait, it took several months to decide on continuing education through distance learning.…”

“…Psychological impairment would significantly affect the attention, cognitive functioning, and clinical decision-making of HCPs [ 39 ]. Previous studies have also suggested that public health emergencies had a major psychological impact on university students expressed as anxiety, fear, and worry [ 10 , 40 , 41 ]. The main aim of the current study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health status of HCPs and HSCUs in Kuwait.…”

“…Regarding anxiety, this study also reported higher results (35.2%) than Jordan and China, where university students reported anxiety rates of 21.5% and 24.9%, respectively [ 10 , 44 ]. However, medical students in Iran had comparable results for anxiety rates (38%) to students in Kuwait [ 41 ].…”