Mental health and online learning among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a Saudi national study
The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice
ISSN: 1755-6228
Article publication date: 23 October 2021
Issue publication date: 28 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has multiple consequences, including social distancing and the shift of education from in-person to online learning, which may have a psychological impact on students, especially those in medical colleges. This study aims to explore the effect of online learning on medical students’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic across Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive, nationwide, cross-sectional survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, after students in medical colleges moved to online learning. It included socio-demographic characteristics, online learning-related questions, perceived stress scale and generalized anxiety disorder-7.
Findings
The participants represented various academic levels within the basic science phase (44.9%) and clinical phase (55.1%) and various regions, including the central (55.3%), western (18.8%), northern (13.4%), southern (8.8%) and eastern (3.7%) regions. Moderate to high perceived stress was reported by 94.4% of students. Two-thirds of the students reported generalized anxiety symptoms, ranging from moderate to severe in 47% of them. A significant positive correlation was found between stress and anxiety. Women, age > 25, first-year students, students facing oral and objective structured clinical examinations, students with excellent and pass grades and those facing difficulties had higher levels of stress and anxiety. In addition, being non-Saudi, married or having a history of psychiatric illness was associated with higher levels of anxiety.
Originality/value
Stress and anxiety were highly expressed among participants using online learning. In addition to studying the efficacy of online learning, it is important to focus on its effect on medical students’ mental health, due to the highly competitive and demanding environment of medical colleges.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Omar Saeed Badghaish, Nasser Ahmed Alnasser and Razan Ali Alhamidi who assisted with data collection.Declaration of interest statement: The authors report no conflict of interest.Data availability: The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy agreements.
Citation
AlJhani, S., Alateeq, D., Alwabili, A. and Alamro, A. (2022), "Mental health and online learning among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a Saudi national study", The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 323-334. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-04-2021-0037
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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