Loneliness and mental burden among German medical students during the fading COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods approach.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Medical students experience significantly more mental burdens compared to the general public. This circumstance was further exacerbated by the pandemic, particularly with regard to loneliness. While previous studies have identified risk factors for loneliness among students of different subjects, recent data focusing on medical students during the late stages of the pandemic remain insufficient. This study aims to address this gap.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study at a German Medical School, consisting of two online surveys conducted in winter 2021/22 and summer 2022. The study sample, composed of 283 undergraduate students in winter 2021/22 (231 in summer 2022), answered five well-established scales for measuring loneliness (R-UCLA3), distress (DT-N

SUBMITTER: Leich M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11975857 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature