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 May 10:13:846789.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.846789. eCollection 2022.

Mental Health Among Medical Students During COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Qingwen Jia  1 , Yi Qu  2 , Huiyuan Sun  3 , Huisheng Huo  1 , Hongxia Yin  1 , Dianping You  4
Affiliations

Mental Health Among Medical Students During COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Qingwen Jia et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: The mental health of medical students is an issue worthy of attention, especially during COVID-19. Many studies have shown that depression and anxiety are the main problems faced by medical students. To assess the pooled prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students worldwide, we conducted this meta-analysis.

Methods: According to PRISMA, we used a computerized strategy to search studies in EMBASE, PubMed, PsycArticles, Web of Science, and China Biology Medicine disc. The pooled prevalence of depression and anxiety was calculated by a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was explored by subgroup analysis. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias were also carried out in this meta-analysis.

Results: Of 1316 studies, 41 studies were selected based on 36608 medical students. The pooled depression prevalence was 37.9% (95% CI: 30.7-45.4%), and pooled anxiety prevalence was 33.7% (95% CI: 26.8-41.1%). The prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students varied by gender, country, and continent.

Conclusion: The data reported that the prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students during COVID-19 was relatively higher than those of the general population and the healthcare workers. The impact of COVID-19 on medical students and how to protect the mental health of medical students are needed to determine through further research.

Systematic review registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021274015], identifier [CRD42021274015].

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; depression; medical students; meta-analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow chart of study selection.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Forest plot for depression.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Forest plot for anxiety.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Subgroup analysis by countries for depression.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Subgroup analysis by countries for anxiety.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Sensitivity analysis of depression.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Sensitivity analysis of anxiety.
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Egger’s regression test for depression.
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 9
Egger’s regression test for anxiety.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abbasi M. S., Ahmed N., Sajjad B., Alshahrani A., Saeed S., Sarfaraz S., et al. (2020). E-Learning perception and satisfaction among health sciences students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Work 67 549–556. 10.3233/wor-203308 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Acharya L., Jin L., Collins W. (2018). College life is stressful today - emerging stressors and depressive symptoms in college students. J. Am. Coll. Health 66 655–664. 10.1080/07448481.2018.1451869 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adhikari A., Sujakhu E., G C. S., Zoowa S. (2021). Depression among medical students of a medical college in Nepal during COVID-19 Pandemic: a descriptive cross-sectional study. JNMA J. Nepal Med. Assoc. 59 645–648. 10.31729/jnma.5441 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ahmed M. Z., Ahmed O., Aibao Z., Hanbin S., Siyu L., Ahmad A. (2020). Epidemic of COVID-19 in China and associated psychological problems. Asian J. Psychiatr. 51:102092. 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102092 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alqudah A., Al-Smadi A., Oqal M., Qnais E. Y., Wedyan M., Abu Gneam M., et al. (2021). About anxiety levels and anti-anxiety drugs among quarantined undergraduate Jordanian students during COVID-19 pandemic. Int. J. Clin. Pract. 75:e14249. 10.1111/ijcp.14249 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources