Department of Medical Education, Showa University School of Medicine, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Medical Education, Showa University School of Medicine, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
BMJ Open. 2020 Dec 10;10(12):e043728. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043728.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on university students, including those in medical schools, with disruption in routine education causing significant psychological distress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with psychological distress among medical students during the period of enforced home quarantine from March through May 2020.
A cross-sectional study.
One Japanese medical school.
571 medical students.
Self-administered electronic questionnaires including the K-6 scale for psychological distress, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) for self-esteem and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) for self-efficacy were distributed. To assess the determinant factor for psychological distress, variables such as sex, grade in school, living conditions, and RSES and GSES scores were evaluated in regression analysis.
163 respondents (28.5%) scored ≥5 on the K-6 scale, indicating a significant degree of psychological distress. Logistic regression revealed that a higher score on RSES (p<0.001) and GSES (p<0.01) was an independent factor associated with lower levels of psychological distress. Multiple regression analysis focusing on students with a K-6 score ≥5 revealed that higher scores on RSES correlated with lower levels of psychological distress. By contrast, those with higher GSES scores also scored higher for indicators of psychological distress.
This study identified that self-efficacy and self-esteem were both influential factors for predicting psychological distress during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Medical schools should provide support for mental health and educational initiatives directed at enhancing self-esteem and self-efficacy, with a focus on improving personal resilience. In emergency situations, such as that faced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, initial programmes might target students with higher levels of self-efficacy. By contrast, under routine situations, these efforts should be directed towards students with lower self-esteem as primary means to prevent depression.
COVID-19 大流行对医学生等大学生产生了重大影响，常规教育中断导致严重的心理困扰。本研究旨在评估 2020 年 3 月至 5 月强制居家隔离期间医学生心理困扰的相关因素。
横断面研究。
日本一所医学院。
571 名医学生。
采用自我管理的电子问卷，包括 K-6 量表（用于心理困扰）、罗森伯格自尊量表（RSES）（用于自尊）和一般自我效能感量表（GSES）（用于自我效能感）。为了评估心理困扰的决定因素，在校成绩、生活条件以及 RSES 和 GSES 评分等变量在回归分析中进行了评估。
163 名应答者（28.5%）在 K-6 量表上得分≥5，表明存在明显程度的心理困扰。逻辑回归显示，RSES 评分较高（p<0.001）和 GSES 评分较高（p<0.01）是与较低心理困扰水平相关的独立因素。针对 K-6 评分≥5 的学生进行的多元回归分析显示，RSES 评分较高与较低的心理困扰水平相关。相比之下，GSES 评分较高的学生也表现出较高的心理困扰指标。
本研究发现，自我效能感和自尊都是预测 COVID-19 大流行期间心理困扰的影响因素。医学院应提供心理健康和教育支持计划，重点是增强自尊和自我效能感，以提高个人韧性。在紧急情况下，如应对 COVID-19 大流行的情况，初始计划可以针对自我效能感较高的学生。相比之下，在常规情况下，这些努力应针对自尊较低的学生，作为预防抑郁的主要手段。
