Introduction:

The occurrence of pandemics, such as Covid-19, leads to a psychosocial disturbance that can break the limits of the population’s coping capacity, generating tensions and anxieties that are expressed in various degrees among those involved.

Objective:

To analyze the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students in the State of Pernambuco.

Methods:

Cross-sectional analytical study conducted between July and August 2021 with medical students from 11 universities in Pernambuco. The dependent variables analyzed were the scores of anxiety, depression; the independent variables were resilience score, socio-demographic, behavioral characteristics and health conditions. The data were collected through Google Forms. Beck’s Anxiety and Depression Inventories, and Wagnild and Young’s Resilience Scale were applied. The study was approved by the local ethics committee and informed consent was sought and given. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25, considering as significant a p-value < 0,05.

Result:

416 participants were included, the majority (60.9%) of the students were women, the average age was 25 years, and 73.8% of them lived in the municipality of their university. Moderate and severe anxiety symptoms were found in 27.2% and 10.3% of the sample, respectively. Moderate depressive symptoms were observed in 17.8% of the students. About 25% of the sample reported a low or very low degree of resilience. High resilience (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.18 [0.08-0.41]; p <0.001) and psychological support prior to the pandemic (OR 0.36 [0.14-0.95]; p = 0 .04) were protective factors and attending the clinical cycle (2nd-3rd year) was an independent risk factor (OR 1.95 [1.07-3.55]; p = 0.02) for moderate to severe anxiety. High resilience (OR 0.01 [0.02-0.11]; p < 0.001 and returning to one’s hometown during the suspension of classes (OR 0.41 [0.18-0.91]; p = 0.02) were protective factors and attending the clinical cycle was an independent risk factor (OR 2.74 [1.26-5.93]; p = 0.01) for moderate to severe depression.

Conclusion:

We found a high prevalence of moderate and severe anxiety symptoms, as well as moderate depressive symptoms. A high proportion of students demonstrated a low or very low degree of resilience.

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