Perceived Stress by Students of the Medical Sciences in Cuba Toward the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of an Online Survey

Abstract

Introduction: The aims of this study were to determine the usefulness of the Modified (10-item) Scale of Perceived Stress related to COVID-19 (EEP-10-C, for its acronym in Spanish) and to identify the levels of stress perceived by students of medical sciences in Cuba due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, with self-reported data of students from 14 Cuban universities of medical sciences (n=200), through an online survey. The EEP-10-C was used as an instrument to identify stress. Its validity was determined through a confirmatory factor analysis and its internal consistency and reliability was measured by the Cronbach's alpha. A cluster analysis was performed to establish as the cut-off point the centre of the cluster with the highest values of stress perceived by the scale.

Results: The average age of the sample was 23.30± 1.91 years, with observed scores of the EEP-10-C between 0 and 29 points (13.25±5.404). When applying the cut-off point ≥25, only two students had high rates of perceived stress. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of the instrument (α=0.755). The cut-off point ≥20 was proposed as a reference of high stress perceived for the study population, when applying this one, 14% of students presented high rates of stress.

Conclusions: In Cuba, students of the medical sciences have participated in research and healthcare support, despite which they have presented low levels of stress. The main contribution of the research was the validation of the EEP-10-C for its use in assessing levels of stress in Cuban medical students, proposing the cut-off point ≥20 as a reference of high stress perceived.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Estrés psicológico; Estudiantes de Medicina; Medical students; Psychological stress.