Depression, anxiety, and stress in medical students in Peru: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with depressive, anxious, and stress symptoms in medical students in Peru, during the second pandemic wave of COVID-19. Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study in 405 medical students from a university in northern Peru. The DASS-21 instrument was used to evaluate mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress), and to investigate their association with socio-educational characteristics. Results: We found a prevalence of depressive, anxious, and stress symptoms of 71.6% (95% CI: 66.94-75.95), 71.9% (95% CI: 67.2-76.2), and 62.7% (95% CI: 57.8-67.4); respectively. Students with eating behavior disorders had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 1.35), anxious symptoms (PR: 1.27), and stress symptoms (PR: 1.31). The prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 1.57), anxious symptoms (PR: 1.27), and stress symptoms (PR: 1.24) increased in students who did not report regular physical activity. In addition, having almost always academic exhaustion increased the prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 1.46), stress symptoms (PR: 1.72). On the contrary, the prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR: 0.79), anxious symptoms (PR: 0.73) and stress symptoms (PR: 0.82) decreased in male students. Students who reported sleeping 8 or more hours daily had a lower prevalence of stress symptoms (PR: 0.82). Conclusion: Symptoms of depression and anxiety occurred in 7 out of 10 students, and stress in 6 out of 10. Among the factors associated with the presence of anxiety, depression, and stress were eating behavior disorder and not regularly exercising. Periodic evaluations of mental symptomatology are required and counseling should be promoted in medical schools.

Time in Service and Resilience in Active Military Personnel during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northern Peru.

Greater occupational exposure may have a positive effect on the development of resilience. We aimed to determine the association between working time and resilience in Peruvian military personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary data analysis was performed including 586 records of military personnel who supported the health emergency during the second epidemic wave in Lambayeque, Peru. Resilience was measured with the short form of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Working time and other relevant covariates were collected by self-report. Generalized linear models were used. The mean resilience score was 22.18 and 43.2% scored high for resilience. Participants reported that they are strong individuals when facing difficulties (42.3%), are able to handle unpleasant feelings (40.3%), and achieve their goals despite obstacles (40.4%). Working more than 18 months was associated with a 35% higher prevalence of high resilience (PR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.05-1.75). In conclusion, a notable number of military personnel experienced high levels of resilience during the pandemic. Working time may have played an important role in the development of this ability. Our findings could help guide the deployment and organization of the military in health emergency support missions.