Effect of Stress Management Training on the Mental Health of Medical Students and Interns Training Centers During the Pandemic: An Intervention Study

Sobhan Abbasi; Yahya Mohammadi; Mohammadreza Raeisoon

doi:10.18502/htaa.v7i3.14212

Sobhan Abbasi School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Yahya Mohammadi Education Development Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Mohammadreza Raeisoon Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/htaa.v7i3.14212

Keywords: Education; Stress Management; Mental Health; Student; Corona

Abstract

Background: Medical students, as a part of the first line of combating COVID-19, have been exposed to harm caused by mental disorders. Objectives: This study investigated how stress management training affects the mental health of medical students and interns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: sixteen training and internship students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences from 2020-2021 were included in this intervention study. The intervention group completed the stress management training course in 6 sessions. Mental health dimensions were collected with the SCL90 questionnaire before and after intervention in both groups. SPSS 22 software and Mann-Whitney U-test, Wilcoxon, Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test were utilized for data analysis.

Results: The basic data showed no significant differences between groups (P > 0.05). After the intervention, the mean scores of physical complaint, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal relations, depression, anxiety, aggression, fear, paranoid and psychotic dimensions in the intervention group significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In controls, the obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, and aggression dimensions significantly decreased (P < 0.05). However, in controls, there was no significant difference in the mean score of other dimensions before and after intervention (P > 0.05). Before the intervention, the frequency distribution of various levels of sensitivity to interpersonal relationships in the two studied groups was the same (P > 0.05); after the intervention, these levels were significantly different between groups (P < 0.05). After intervention, the control group had a higher frequency distribution of individuals with degrees of depression (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: The mental health of medical internship students during a crisis can be improved by stress management training, which reduces anxiety and depression. Therefore, stress management courses are recommended in stressful situations.