How Final-Year Medical Students Experienced the Pandemic: Effects on mental Health and Coping Mechanisms
Published
Mar 15, 2024
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Natally Galeano Jaimes
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9871-3392
Nathalia Pachón Blanco
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3996-0397
Valentina Galindo Silva
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4312-5073
Yazmín María Lucila Cadena Camargo
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5016-6119
Francisco Palencia Sánchez
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8126-7748
Jose Antonio Garciandía Imaz
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3409-5998
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9871-3392
Nathalia Pachón Blanco
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3996-0397
Valentina Galindo Silva
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4312-5073
Yazmín María Lucila Cadena Camargo
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5016-6119
Francisco Palencia Sánchez
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8126-7748
Jose Antonio Garciandía Imaz
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3409-5998
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Abstract
Introduction: COVID-19 illness in 2019/2020 had an overwhelming impact on healthcare workers, including final-year medical students whose internship learning experience and mental health were negatively affected. Methods: We performed a qualitative study with a phenomenological-interpretative approach. Group interviews were conducted, and each participant was asked to draw a picture representing what they experienced during the covid-19 pandemic. Results: Defense mechanisms such as denial and excision; feelings of anxiety, anguish, sadness, and fear; and positive perceptions of the pandemic were identified. Emerging categories such as burnout syndrome, coping tools, and educational barriers also appear. Discussion: The immature defense mechanisms that medical students employed during the internship year and their relationship with higher levels of stress and greater emotional exhaustion, as well as the report of situations that generated anxiety, distress, sadness, and fear, in addition to symptoms of burnout syndrome show the negative impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of this population.
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References
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2. Raudenská J, Steinerová V, Javůrková A, Urits I, Kaye AD, Viswanath O, et al. Occupational burnout syndrome and post-traumatic stress among healthcare professionals during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2020;34(3):553-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpa.2020.07.008
3. Di Giuseppe M, Nepa G, Prout TA, Albertini F, Marcelli S, Orrù G, Conversano C. Stress, burnout, and resilience among healthcare workers during the covid-19 emergency: the role of defense mechanisms. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 May 14;18(10):5258. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105258
4. Zhang W, Wang K, Yin L, Zhao WF, Xue Q, Peng M, et al. Mental health and psychosocial problems of medical health workers during the covid-19 epidemic in China. Psychother Psychosom. 2020;89(4):242-50. https://doi.org/10.1159/000507639
5. Mittal R, Su L, Jain R. COVID-19 mental health consequences on medical students worldwide. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2021 May 10;11(3):296-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/20009666.2021.1918475
6. AbuDujain NM, Almuhaideb QA, Alrumaihi NA, Alrabiah MA, Alanazy MH, Abdulghani H. The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on medical interns' education, training, and mental health: a cross-sectional study. Cureus. 2021 Nov 4;13(11):e19250. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.19250
7. Suryavanshi N, Kadam A, Dhumal G, Nimkar S, Mave V, Gupta A, et al. Mental health and quality of life among healthcare professionals during the covid-19 pandemic in India. Brain Behav. 2020 Nov;10(11):e01837. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1837
8. Tian T, Meng F, Pan W, et al. Mental health burden of frontline health professionals treating imported patients with covid-19 in China during the pandemic. Psychol Med. 2022;52(2):398-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720002093
9. Monterrosa-Castro A, Dávila-Ruiz R, Mejía-Mantilla A, Contreras-Saldarriaga J, Mercado-Lara M, Flores-Monterrosa C. Estrés laboral, ansiedad y miedo al covid-19 en médicos generales colombianos. MedUNAB. 2020;23(2):195-213. https://doi.org/10.29375/01237047.3890
10. Lyons Z, Wilcox H, Leung L, Dearsley O. COVID-19 and the mental well-being of Australian medical students: impact, concerns and coping strategies used. Australas Psychiatry. 2020 Dec;28(6):649-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856220947945
11. Cabrera-Mora MN, Alegría-Hoyos CA, Villaquirán-Hurtado A F, Jácome-Velasco SJ. Salud mental, hábitos de sueño y nivel de actividad física en estudiantes de medicina en la educación virtual. Rev Ces Med. 2022;36(2):17-35. https://doi.org/10.21615/cesmedicina.6700
12. Brainsky S. Manual de psicología y psicopatología dinámicas: fundamentos del psicoanálisis. 2.ª ed. Bogotá: Carlos Valencia; 1986.
13. Akhtar S, Byrne JP. The concept of splitting and its clinical relevance. Am J Psychiatry. 1983 Aug;140(8):1013-6. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.140.8.1013
14. Glover N. Psychoanalytic aesthetics: an introduction to the British school. 2.ª ed. Harris Meltzer Trust; 2009.
15. Freud S. Repression. Standard Edition. Vol. 14. London: Hogarth; 1915. p. 141-58.
16. Rycroft C. Psychoanalysis and the literary imagination. En: W. Phillips, editor. Art and psychoanalysis. New York: Criterion; 1957. p. 250-79.
17. Broadbent E, Schoones JW, Tiemensma J, Kaptein AA. A systematic review of patients' drawing of illness: implications for research using the Common Sense Model. Health Psychol Rev. 2019 Dec;13(4):406-426. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2018.1558088
18. Vásquez LL. Indicadores emocionales del test del dibujo de la figura humana de Koppitz en niños maltratados y no maltratados [tesis de grado]. Lima: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; s. f.
19. Hesse-Biber SN. The practice of qualitative research: engaging students in the research process. 3.ª ed. Sage; 2017.
20. World Health Organization. QD85 Burnout. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems [internet]. 11.ª ed. Ginebra; 2019. Disponible en: https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/129180281
21. Cudris L, Barrios Á, Bonilla N. Coronavirus: epidemia emocional y social. Arch Venez Farmacol Terapéut. 2020;39:309-312.
22. Arrogante O, Aparicio-Zaldívar EG. Síndrome de burnout en los profesionales de cuidados intensivos: relaciones con la salud y el bienestar. Enferm Intensiva. 2020;31(2):60-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enfi.2019.03.004
23. Stewart NH, Arora VM. The impact of sleep and circadian disorders on physician burnout. Chest. 2019;156(5):1022-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2019.07.008
How to Cite
Galeano Jaimes, N., Pachón Blanco, N., Galindo Silva, V., Cadena Camargo, Y. M. L., Palencia Sánchez, F., & Garciandía Imaz, J. A. (2024). How Final-Year Medical Students Experienced the Pandemic: Effects on mental Health and Coping Mechanisms. Universitas Medica, 64(4). https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.umed64-4.aedi
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