Health Commun.  2022 Dec;17(2):91-98. 10.15715/kjhcom.2022.17.2.91.

Psychosocial changes in Medical Students Before and After COVID-19 Social Distancing

• Kim Dy
• Yang WJ
• Lee SH
• Lee SH
• Park KH
• Yune SJ

• KMID: 2538442
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15715/kjhcom.2022.17.2.91

Abstract

Purpose
: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on society. Understanding the changes perceived by medical students is meaningful in that it can suggest the direction of future changes in medical education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 social distancing on psychosocial changes in medical students.
Methods
: Anxiety and depression caused by COVID-19, changes in fatigue caused by social distancing, areas where significant changes occurred, and changes in social activity participation and media use behavior among medical students who have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic for more than two years by an online survey. Two hundred twenty-one who are 1st and 2nd-year medical students responded, and we analyzed the results by frequency analysis, independent t-test, paired-sample t-test, and ANOVA. Also, we analyzed Post hoc tests with Tamhane T2, which does not assume equal variance.
Results
: The second year of medical school showed higher anxiety and depression than the first. The students who experienced COVID-19 showed lower anxiety, and the more severe the degree of corona blue experience, the higher the anxiety and depression. And the fatigue felt by medical students is higher now than during COVID-19. Areas where the changes due to COVID-19 were seen a lot, were lifestyle attitudes, learning methods, and human relationships. And also, social activities and media medical students use increased after social distancing.
Conclusion
: Before and After COVID-19 Social Distancing, medical students have experienced many psychosocial changes.

Keyword

COVID-19; Social distancing; Social participation; Anxiety; Depression