Learning Problems and Adaptation under the Coronavirus Disease 2019 of Medical Students
Keywords:
Medical students, adaptation, COVID-19Abstract
Since its discovery in 2019, COVID-19 has generated public health concerns. It has influenced nearly every facet of life, including medical education. In this regard, the purposes of this study were to investigate the level of problems and adaptation among preclinical year medical students at Suranaree University of Technology in Thailand. This online cross-sectional study was conducted at Suranaree University of Technology in Thailand, between December 20, 2021 and March 20, 2022. All of the medical students were invited to complete an online questionnaire on demographics, their learning problems in the COVID-19 pandemic, and adaptation. The data were analyzed using statistics, including an independent t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), the Least-Significant Different method (LSD) and the Pearson correlation to determine the correlation between learning problems and adaptation factors. The response rate was 177 out of 186 people (64.1%). The respondents had a moderate level of their problems with the most personal issues (88.7%) and emotional adaptation was at a high level. Males had more difficulties than females. The third-year medical students had the most difficulty and the least adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, third-year medical students had the most problems. The second-and-third-year students had lower levels of study and emotional adaptation than the first year (p<0.01). Therefore, in order to build psychological support and resilience, training is essential to increase mental wellness and educate medical students to cope with unprecedented events.
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