Medical Students and Their Attitude to COVID-19 Pandemic and Restrictive Measures: Coping Strategies and Psychological Features

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic with its restrictive measures affected the entire education system, causing anxiety and depression in medical students. This research addressed the psychological resources and coping strategies which medical students appealed to during the pandemic. The authors developed a questionnaire to classify various attitudes and coping strategies. High stress and non-constructive coping strategies were typical for students with anxiety and pessimism. The subjects with high anxiety levels that experienced the lockdown measures as severe psychological stress tended to rely on avoidance strategies. They felt high responsibility, lacked relevant information, and assessed their own resources as low. Those with prominent self-efficacy demonstrated an optimistic and more realistic type of perception: they were confident in their ability to cope with the challenges of the pandemic. The subjects with a subjective and optimistic perception believed that they were able to select relevant information on preventive measures and reduce psychological stress.