@Article{info:doi/10.2196/25232,
author="Nishimura, Yoshito
and Ochi, Kanako
and Tokumasu, Kazuki
and Obika, Mikako
and Hagiya, Hideharu
and Kataoka, Hitomi
and Otsuka, Fumio",
title="Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Distress of Medical Students in Japan: Cross-sectional Survey Study",
journal="J Med Internet Res",
year="2021",
month="Feb",
day="18",
volume="23",
number="2",
pages="e25232",
keywords="COVID-19; online education; depression; pandemic; anxiety; medical student",
abstract="Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected medical education. However, little data are available about medical students' distress during the pandemic. Objective: This study aimed to provide details on how medical students have been affected by the pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 717 medical students participated in the web-based survey. The survey included questions about how the participants' mental status had changed from before to after the Japanese nationwide state of emergency (SOE). Results: Out of 717 medical students, 473 (66.0{\%}) participated in the study. In total, 29.8{\%} (141/473) of the students reported concerns about the shift toward online education, mostly because they thought online education would be ineffective compared with in-person learning. The participants' subjective mental health status significantly worsened after the SOE was lifted (P<.001). Those who had concerns about a shift toward online education had higher odds of having generalized anxiety and being depressed (odds ratio [OR] 1.97, 95{\%} CI 1.19-3.28) as did those who said they would request food aid (OR 1.99, 95{\%} CI 1.16-3.44) and mental health care resources (OR 3.56, 95{\%} CI 2.07-6.15). Conclusions: Given our findings, the sudden shift to online education might have overwhelmed medical students. Thus, we recommend that educators inform learners that online learning is not inferior to in-person learning, which could attenuate potential depression and anxiety. ",
issn="1438-8871",
doi="10.2196/25232",
url="http://www.jmir.org/2021/2/e25232/",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/25232",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33556033"
}