Impact of COVID-19 on medical students well-being and psychological distress

Background: Mental well-being is important for medical students to perform effectively. The COVID-19 pandemic posed different stressors to medical students increasing their vulnerability to distress and impaired well-being.

Aim: To assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of medical students and its relation with COVID-related psychological distress and fear as well as sleep quality.

Materials and methods: We planned a cross-sectional study on medical students with the help of an online Google Form including sociodemographic data, medical students well-being index (MSWBI), Psychological Distress Scale, fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Results: 48.13% of students reported higher distress and impaired mental well-being. Impaired well-being is correlated with COVID-related psychological distress, fear of COVID-19, and disturbed sleep quality. Regression analysis showed that joint family and sleep disturbances significantly predicted distress or poor well-being in medical students.

Conclusion: Almost half of the medical students revealed impaired mental well-being underlining the role of COVID-related stressors in worsening the psychological health of students. In this situation, it is important to take prompt measures to identify vulnerable students and help them.