Psychological impact of COVID-19 among a cohort of Sri Lankan medical students: Preliminary results

Abstract

Previous studies report that the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative effect on the psychological wellbeing of medical students. We aimed to determine the psychological impact of COVID-19 and its associated factors among a cohort of Sri Lankan medical students, using online versions of a demographic questionnaire and the validated Sinhala and Tamil versions of the DASS-21. Of the 418 students, majority were females, aged between 20-25 years. In the study group, 40 (9.6%), 105 (25.1%) and 7 (1.6%) of participants scored above the cut-offs for the depression, anxiety and stress subscales of the DASS-21 respectively. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be associated with a negative impact as measured by the DASS-21 scale among this group of medical students.