PERCEPTION OF STRESS OF MEDICAL STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN 2020

Abstract

Introduction: In December 2019, the first cases of COVID-19 emerged in China and in March 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 as the second pandemic of the 21st century. As a measure to contain the spread of the disease, social isolation was recommended. Numerous studies have pointed to an increase in stress symptoms related to the pandemic. It is known that medical students are more susceptible to responding to stressful situations in a non-adaptive way. Objectives: To evaluate the perceived stress level of medical students in 2019 and 2020, periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assess the level of stress in the middle and end (exam season) of the second semester of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The PSS-14 - Perceived Stress Scale was applied to medical students from the second to the eighth period of the Medicine course at Faculdade Evangélica Mackenzie do Paraná, in 2019 and 2020, through an online questionnaire. Results: In 2019, a total of 158 students participated in the two phases (beginning and end of the first semester) of the study. The average age was 22.2 years old and 57.6% were female. In 2020, a total of 42 students participated in the two phases (half and end of the second semester) of the study. The average age was 23.3 years old and 69% were female. When comparing the PSS 14 scale scores in the two assessments, the levels were lower in 2020. Conclusions: The perceived stress level of medical students was lower during the pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period. There was no difference in the assessment of perceived stress when comparing the middle and end of the 2020 semester.