Abstract
Objective: To assess and examine how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the mental health of a sample of health professions students (HPS) using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Participants: Participants included 41 HPS enrolled in a co-curricular interprofessional education (IPE) program. Measurements: Measures included the CES-D scale, PSS scale, and the GAD scale. Qualitative description was used to explore the experiences of these HPS. Results: The HPS explained that fear of acquiring COVID-19, transmitting the virus to loved ones, and dying as a result of the disease negatively influenced their mental health. The HPS revealed that there were some beneficial outcomes resulting from the pandemic, including the strengthening of family bonds and the cultivation of resiliency. Conclusions: The pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health of these HPS. It is essential that these students receive support for their mental health in order to provide optimal care to the population they serve.
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Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements of the United States of America, and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Texas Health San Antonio.
Data availability statement
Data sharing was not included in the IRB approval. The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data is not available.