Abstract
Background: Several studies have shown that the rates of mental health problems increased during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our research aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors for depression, anxiety and stress among medical students at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HueUMP), Vietnam.
Methods: A cross - sectional study included 2,350 medical students from the first year to the sixth year, in the 2021-2022 school year. We used the DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 iterms) to assess depression, anxiety and stress in the participants; and to identify risk factors we used a self–designed questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to analyze factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress in medical students at Hue UMP.
Results: The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among medical students during the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as measured by the DASS- 21 scale was 38%, 33.2% and 17%, respectively. In multivariate regression analysis, stress-related factors included frequently feeling trapped during the period of social distancing/isolation, relationships affected or not maintained during the pandemic, parents and other family members getting unemployed. Factors associated with anxiety among participants included being female, having oneself or a family member(s) infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), constant worries about missing important scholarships or exams, frequent worries about online exams, feeling trapped due to social distancing/isolation, daily routines and relationships affected by the pandemic, and using beer, stimulants to relax. The factors related to depression in the study subjects included being female; being a 2nd, 3rd, or 6th- year student; having a family member(s) infected with SARS-CoV-2; feeling trapped due to social distancing/ isolation; having relationships affected by the Covid pandemic; not exercising regularly; and using alcohol/ beer/stimulants to relax.
Conclusion: The rates of anxiety, depression, and stress among medical students ranged from 17% to 38%. Factors associated with these mental health problems included being female; being a 2nd, 3rd, or 6th-year student; pandemic-related factors and the students’ coping mechanisms.
| Published | 2025-08-30 | |
| Fulltext |
|
|
| Language |
|
|
| Issue | Vol. 15 No. 4 (2025) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | 10.34071/jmp.2025.4.11 | |
| Keywords | COVID-19 Pandemic, medical students, DASS-21, Risk factors, Hue university of Medicine and Pharmacy |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Hue Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy
World Health Organization. Mental health and COVID-19: early evidence of the pandemic’s impact: scientific brief, 2 March 2022 [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2022 Mar 2. Available from: https://iris.who.int/ handle/10665/352189
Ministry of Health. Covid - 19 epidemic prevention bulletin. 2023 Apr 3.
Ministry of Health. Covid – 19 News. 2021;Dec 22.
Samieefar N, Rashedi R, Akhlaghdoust M, Mashhadi M, Darzi P, Rezaei N. Delta Variant: The New Challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic, an Overview of Epidemiological, Clinical, and Immune Characteristics. Acta Biomed. 2022;93(1):e2022179.
Twohig KA, Nyberg T, Zaidi A, Thelwall S, Funk S, Flaxman S, et al. Hospital admission and emergency care attendance risk for SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) compared with alpha (B.1.1.7) variants of concern: a cohort study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2022;22(1):35-42.
Abdulghani HM, Sattar K, Ahmad T, Akram A. Association of COVID-19 Pandemic with undergraduate Medical Students’ Perceived Stress and Coping. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2020;13:871-881.
Xiao H, Shu W, Li M, Li Z, Tao F, Wu X, et al. Social Distancing among Medical Students during the 2019 Coronavirus Disease Pandemic in China: Disease Awareness, Anxiety Disorder, Depression, and Behavioral Activities. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(14):5047.
Adhikari A, Sujakhu E, G C S, Zoowa S. Depression among Medical Students of a Medical College in Nepal during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study. JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2021;59(239):645-648.
Seetan K, Al-Zubi M, Rubbai Y, Athamneh M, Khamees A, Radaideh T. Impact of COVID-19 on medical students’ mental wellbeing in Jordan. PLoS ONE. 2021;16(6):e0253295.
Harries AJ, Lee C, Jones L, Rodriguez RM, Davis JA, Boysen-Osborn M, et al. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical students: a multicenter quantitative study. BMC Med Educ. 2021;21(1):14.
Thai TT, Le PTV, et al. Perceived stress and coping strategies During the Covid – 19 Pandemic among Public Health and Preventive Medicine Students in Vietnam. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. 2021;14:795–804.
Jia Q, Qu Y, Sun H, Huo H, Yin H, You D. Mental Health Among Medical Students During COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Psychol. 2022;13:846789.
Keskin S, Özkan B. Mental statuses of nursing students in the covid-19 pandemic period: a systematic review. Ann Clin Anal Med. 2021;12:245–249.
Hammoudi Halat D, Younes S, Safwan J, Akiki Z, Akel M, Rahal M. Pharmacy Students’ Mental Health and Resilience in COVID-19: An Assessment after One Year of Online Education. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2022;12(8):1082-1107.
Nguyen HV, Laohasiriwong W. The relationships between the use of self-regulated learning strategies and depression among medical students: An accelerated prospective cohort study. Psychology, Health and Medicine. 2014;20(1):59-70.
Bùi Thị Thanh Vân, Dương Thị Hải, Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Nam, Ngô Minh Đạt. Thực trạng lo âu, căng thẳng, trầm cảm của nhân viên y tế tham gia phòng chống dịch Covid 19 tại một số bệnh viện tại Hà Nội năm 2020. Tạp chí Y học Việt Nam. 2024; (3).
Nguyễn Hoàng Thuỳ Linh, Nguyễn Thị Miên Hạ, Trần Xuân Minh Trí, Hoàng Đình Tuyên, Trần Thị Mai Liên, Võ Văn Thắng. Thực trạng sức khoẻ tâm thần và một số yếu tố liên quan ở sinh viên trong làn sóng đại dịch COVID-19 thứ nhất tại một số trường đại học khoa học sức khoẻ ở Việt Nam năm 2020. Tạp chí Y học Dự phòng. 2021;31(6):114–120.
Tian T, Meng F, Pan W, Zhou G, Zhang J, Li X, et al. Mental health burden of frontline health professionals treating imported patients with COVID-19 in China during the pandemic. Psychological Medicine. 2022;52(2):398- 399.
Natalia D, Syakurah RA. Mental health state in medical students during COVID-19 pandemic. J Educ Health Promot. 2021;10:208.
Jupina M, Sidle MW, Rehmeyer Caudill CJ. Medical student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clin Teach. 2022;19(5):e13518.
Meo SA, Abukhalaf AA, Alomar AA, Sattar K, Klonoff DC. COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of Quarantine on Medical Students’ Mental Wellbeing and Learning Behaviors. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):S43-S48.
Esteves CS, Oliveira CR, Argimon I, Iracema L. Social Distancing: Prevalence of Depressive, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms Among Brazilian Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Public Health. 2021;8:589966.
Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, Woodland L, Wessely S, Greenberg N, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet. 2020;395(10227):912-920.
Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020;395:497–506.
Chi X, Becker B, Yu Q, Willeit P, Jiao C, Huang L, et al. Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates of Mental Health Outcomes Among Chinese College Students During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic. Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:803.
Park J, Lee SI, et al. Factors Affecting Stress and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychiatry Investig. 2023;20(2):152-161.
Panchal N, et al. The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use [Online]. KFF; 2023 [cited 2023 Mar]. Available from: URL: https://www. kff.org/mental-health/the-implications-of-covid-19-for- mental-health-and-substance-use/
Alyoubi A, Halstead EJ, Zambelli Z, Dimitriou D. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Mental Health and Sleep in Saudi Arabia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(17):9344.
Cui S, Jiang Y, Shi Q, Zhang L, Kong D, Qian M, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on Anxiety, Stress, and Coping Styles in Nurses in Emergency Departments and Fever Clinics: A Cross-Sectional Survey. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021;14:585-594.
Ying Y, Ruan L, Kong F, Zhu B, Li Y, Liu Y. Mental health status among family members of health care workers in Ningbo, China, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20:379.
Jiang R. Knowledge, attitudes and mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2020;119:105494.
Goldmann E, Galea S. Mental Health Consequences of Disasters. Annu. Rev. Public Health. 2014;35:169–183.
Deimel D, Firk C, Stöver H, Hees N, Scherbaum N, Fleißner S. Substance Use and Mental Health during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Germany: Results of a Cross-Sectional Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(19):12801.
Nunes EV. Alcohol and etiology of depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2023 Mar.
Mahindru A, Patil P, Agrawal V. Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review. Cureus. 2023;15(1):e33475.
Wanjau MN, Möller H, et al. Physical Activity and Depression and Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review of Reviews and Assessment of Causality. AJPM Focus. 2023;2(2).
Sharma A, Madaan V, Petty FD. Exercise for mental health. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;8(2):106.
Monfared A, Akhondzadeh L, Soleimani R, Maroufizadeh S, Pouy S, Mohammadi MR, et al. Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies Among Clinicians and Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study in Guilan, Iran. Shiraz E-Med J. 2021;22(5):e109764.
Yadav RK, Baral S, Khatri E, Pandey S, Pandeya P, Neupane R, et al. Anxiety and Depression Among Health Sciences Students in Home Quarantine During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Selected Provinces of Nepal. Front Public Health. 2021;9:580561.
Bilgi K, Aytas G, Karatoprak U, Kazancioglu R, Ozcelik S. The effects of coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on medical students. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:637946.
Abbasi MS, Ahmed N, Sajjad B, Alshahrani A, Saeed S, Sarfaraz S, et al. E-Learning perception and satisfaction among health sciences students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Work. 2020;67:549–556.
Bordea EN. unemployment and coping with stress, anxiety and depression. Czech Journal of social Sciences, Business and economics. 2017;6(2).