Hopelessness among Medical Students Caused Due to COVID-19 Pandemic Linked Educational Hiatus: A Case Study of Bursa Uludag University, Türkiye

Mevlut Okan Aydin, Guven Ozkaya, Ilker Mustafa Kafa, Shafiul Haque () and Zuleyha Alper ()
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Mevlut Okan Aydin: Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa 16059, Türkiye
Guven Ozkaya: Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa 16059, Türkiye
Ilker Mustafa Kafa: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa 16059, Türkiye
Shafiul Haque: Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Zuleyha Alper: Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa Uludağ University, Bursa 16059, Türkiye

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in medical education, leading to feelings of hopelessness among students regarding their medical careers. However, effective institutional crisis-response approaches can mitigate these feelings of hopelessness. This study evaluated changes in the levels of hopelessness among Turkish medical students due to interruptions in their education caused by the pandemic between March and July 2020, using the Beck Hopelessness Scale in three selected periods. A statistical survey was conducted with a total of 3580 participants in three different periods to study the impact of various contributing factors, such as socio-economic status, family problems, health problems, and lack of working environment, on the levels of hopelessness in conjunction with active COVID-19 cases and the effect of institutional interventions for the continuation of medical education during the pandemic. The analysis revealed a direct relationship between contributing factors and hopelessness scores at the end of the selected three periods. Additionally, active COVID-19 cases and institutional crisis-response strategies were found to be indirectly associated with students’ hopelessness. An increase in students’ hopelessness was found to be related to an increase in active COVID-19 cases in the country, a lack of continuing education practices, and the role of contributing factors. Conversely, a decrease in hopelessness was associated with effective institutional crisis-response strategies. These findings suggest that educational settings dealing with practical subjects should prioritize preparedness for crisis situations.

Keywords: hopelessness; medical students; COVID-19; pandemic; Beck Hopelessness Scale; medical education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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