An Investigation into the Pressures Experienced by Medical Masters Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on the Perceived Stress Scale-14 and Its Alleviation Methods

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a traumatic event during which time medical students have been required to perform dual roles both as students and as medical workers. In this study, we aimed to use the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) to judge the pressures on medical students and to identify effective ways to relieve these pressures. In this cross-sectional study, the subjects were recruited under informed consent according to the Declaration of Helsinki. Students undertaking Masters degrees at the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University were randomly selected and data were collected through questionnaire surveys. Our data showed significant differences in the levels of pressure experienced by Masters students (p < 0.05). In the student population that showed increased pressure, females were significantly more stressed than males (p < 0.05). In addition, the pressures persisted after a holiday period (p < 0.05) but were reduced by undertaking recreational activities. The psychological pressures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic were higher in female medical students compared to males. We showed that recreational activities including chatting with friends reduced psychological pressures in female medical students.