Stress, Spirituality and Altruism of Brazilian Medical Students during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Abstract

When psychosocial stress overcomes people’s coping capacity, spirituality and altruism may become necessary to minimize psychological damage. This study analyzed self-reported measures of stress, spirituality and altruism of 1105 Brazilian Medical students during the Covid-19 pandemic. We found moderate levels of perceived stress, moderate to high levels spirituality, as well as high levels of altruistic attitudes. Reported stress was higher among participants with a previous diagnosis of mental disorder and women. Spirituality correlated positively with altruistic thoughts and emotions, but only altruism was inversely related to stress. Future research should explore the role of spirituality and altruism in stress management.