Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;43(1):61-66.
doi: 10.15537/smj.2022.43.1.20210698.

Emotional responses and coping strategies of medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sayyada Ifrah Naaz  1 , Rana M Hussein  1 , Hiba B Khan  1 , Mohamed M Hussein  1 , Shoukat A Arain  1
Affiliations

Emotional responses and coping strategies of medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sayyada Ifrah Naaz et al. Saudi Med J. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the emotional responses and coping strategies of medical students during the lockdown and social distancing measures implemented during the coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: This cross‑sectional study is based on data collected from undergraduate medical students at the College of Medicine, Alfaisal University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the fall semester of academic year 2020-2021. All the participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of 3 parts: demographic information, emotional response scale, and 14-item, adapted brief coping orientation to problems experienced inventory to determine the use of avoidant or approach coping strategies. Coping and emotional response scores were compared using t-test. Linear regression analysis was also performed.

Results: A total of 261 students from all years were included. Overall scores were higher for avoidant coping strategies. The use of avoidant coping strategies was significantly higher in females (p=0.03) and in preclinical students (p<0.001). Preclinical students had a higher mean score for anger (p=0.002). Conversely, students in the clinical phase had higher scores for anxiety (p=0.005) and sadness (p=0.027). The regression analysis of emotional responses and coping strategies suggests that avoidant coping is a predictor of anger (p=0.003) and sadness (p=0.005).

Conclusion: Interventions to train medical students in the use of more productive and effective coping strategies may reduce negative emotional responses linked to the present COVID-19 pandemic and in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19; coping strategies; emotional responses; medical students; pandemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
- Year-wise mean avoidant and approach coping scores. COPE: coping orientation to problems experienced, SD: standard deviation
Figure 2
Figure 2
- Year-wise mean emotional response scores. SD: standard deviation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bedford J, Enria D, Giesecke J, Heymann DL, Ihekweazu C, Kobinger G, et al. . COVID-19: towards controlling of a pandemic. Lancet 2020; 395: 1015–1018. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reynolds DL, Garay JR, Deamond SL, Moran MK, Gold W, Styra R.. Understanding, compliance and psychological impact of the SARS quarantine experience. Epidemiol Infect 2008; 136: 997–1007. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brenneisen Mayer F, Souza Santos I, Silveira PS, Itaqui Lopes MH, de Souza AR, Campos EP, et al. . Factors associated to depression and anxiety in medical students: a multicenter study. BMC Med Educ 2016; 16: 282. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Saraswathi I, Saikarthik J, Senthil Kumar K, Madhan Srinivasan K, Ardhanaari M, Gunapriya R.. Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health status of undergraduate medical students in a COVID-19 treating medical college: a prospective longitudinal study. PeerJ 2020; 8: e10164. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Duangdao KM, Roesch SC.. Coping with diabetes in adulthood: a meta-analysis. J Behav Med 2008; 31: 291–300. - PubMed