TY - JOUR
T1 - Empathy and psychological concerns among medical students in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - Wercelens, Victor Oliveira
AU - Bueno, Mariana Leles
AU - Bueno, Julia Leles
AU - Abrahim, Roberta Perfeito
AU - Ydy, Julia Guimarães Mauad
AU - Zanetti, Hugo Ribeiro
AU - Montayre, Jed
AU - Maximiano-Barreto, Madson Alan
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was financed in part by the Brazilian fostering agency Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES [Coordination for the Advancement of Higher Education Personnel]) - Finance Code 001). MLB, VOW, RPA, and JGM receive funding through the Institutional Scientific Initiation Scholarship Program of the IMEPAC University Center (Finance Code 2021/02).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Objective: Being in direct contact with COVID-19 patients for long periods of time increases the risk of infection among frontline workers. The purpose of this study was to identify levels of empathy and psychological concern among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among medical interns divided into two groups; those who worked in the frontline (n = 87) and non-frontline (n = 63) during the COVID pandemic. The students completed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics as well as the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire. Results: The majority of study respondents were women (70.7%) and mean age was 25.45 ± 3.93 years. In the unadjusted analysis, those who worked with COVID-19 patients had higher levels of empathy, stress, burnout syndrome and depressive symptoms. In the logistic regression analysis, students who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher levels of empathy (OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.16-1.14), stress (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05-1.39) and burnout syndrome (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.30). Conclusion: Medical students in the internship period who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic had more psychological concerns and higher levels of empathy compared to those who did not work on the frontline.
AB - Objective: Being in direct contact with COVID-19 patients for long periods of time increases the risk of infection among frontline workers. The purpose of this study was to identify levels of empathy and psychological concern among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among medical interns divided into two groups; those who worked in the frontline (n = 87) and non-frontline (n = 63) during the COVID pandemic. The students completed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics as well as the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire. Results: The majority of study respondents were women (70.7%) and mean age was 25.45 ± 3.93 years. In the unadjusted analysis, those who worked with COVID-19 patients had higher levels of empathy, stress, burnout syndrome and depressive symptoms. In the logistic regression analysis, students who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher levels of empathy (OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.16-1.14), stress (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05-1.39) and burnout syndrome (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.30). Conclusion: Medical students in the internship period who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic had more psychological concerns and higher levels of empathy compared to those who did not work on the frontline.
KW - burnout
KW - COVID-19
KW - depression
KW - empathy
KW - medicine
KW - student
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162963910&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00912174231179069
DO - 10.1177/00912174231179069
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37220887
AN - SCOPUS:85162963910
SN - 0091-2174
JO - International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine
JF - International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine
ER -