Effect of COVID-19 on Psychological Problems of Medical Department Students: A Systematic Review

Introduction: This systematic review aimed to examine the results of various studies on the effect of COVID-19 on thepsychological problems of medical department students worldwide.Methods: Our statistical population includes all English articles on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress, anxiety, and depression in medical students from January 1, 2019, to the end of December 2020. The articles were searched in Google Scholar, Pubmed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases using the keywords medical students, PTSD, depression, and anxiety, followed by a secondary search similar to the primary search.Results: This study was conducted based on the PRISMA - statement. All included studies were performed using the crosssectional analytical method. Out of 24 studies with a sample size of 12042 people, ten articles dealt with the anxiety topic, one article addressed the depression issue, and 13 articles discussed both the anxiety and depression topic in medical, dental and nursing students. Most studies have shown that women experienced more anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic than men. The level of anxiety of medical students was much lower than that of non-medical students.Conclusion: A large number of students considered virtual education as an unusual and unfamiliar method and expressed their anxiety symptoms. There was a significant relationship between anxiety as well as depression levels and COVID-19. COVID-19-related anxiety and depression caused sleep, appetite and diet disorders, lack of energy and concentration, decreased selfconfidence, and loss of the ability to overcome life problems in students.

Effect of COVID-19 on Psychological Problems of Medical Department Students: A Systematic Review Keywords:

COVID-19 pandemic , anxiety , depression , Medical Department Students