Post-Traumatic Growth and Resilience Among Medical Students In the Wake of COVID-19

Background/Rationale: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected the physical wellbeing but also mental health of many individuals, including young adults such as medical students. Many factors influence a student’s ability to cope with and grow from stressful experiences, their resilience behaviors traits. Building upon prior studies on post-traumatic growth in students at Fukushima Medical University following 3/11 disaster, this study broadens scope by asking Icahn School Medicine Mount Sinai identify any life event they recall being most stressful, limited COVID-19, reflect promoting post-event. Surveying new population New York allows for comparisons posttraumatic exhibited Japan US. We hope specific strategies that are commonly used various traumatic experiences. Hypothesis or research question: primary goal is determine contribute among cohort hypothesize who demonstrate greater will experience less stress. Additionally, we indicated impactful was non-COVID experienced COVID-related Study Design/Methods: All consenting were anonymously surveyed asked (Impactful Life Events Survey). In context event, respond an adapted version Davidson-Trauma Scale (DTS); Resilient Behavior (RBS), Sinai-developed survey examining across 10 domains; Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI); Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CDRS-10). Students about impact themselves families. Optional interviews conducted provide qualitative insights into students’ data analyzed correlations between student demographics, stress, responses RBS, PTGI, scales. Interview findings qualitatively trends commonalities shared Results: distributed our collected 78 responses. 35 (44.9%) (ILE), while 43 (55.1%) non-COVID-19 ILE (Figure 1). RBS CDRS-10 positively correlated one another (Pearson correlation = .533, p <.001) (Table 1A), both scales believed there something positive (RBS: Pearson .26, .05; CDRS-10: .31, .017). .455, <.001), 1B, C). highest-rated included RBS-7: Established nurtured supportive social network, RBS-3: Relied your moral compass, RBS-2: Used cognitive flexibility through reevaluation trauma 2). interviewed similarly expressed relied family, friends, significant others events. Compared ILE, prior, stress (t –2.2, .03), 4.3, < .001), more resilient establishing nurturing network 2.2, developing brain fitness finding meaning purpose things 2.9, .006) Conclusions/Future Plans: Given its effects health, understanding how other events essential. identified traits demonstrated likely measure different aspects resilience, since growth. Finally, found chose growth, behaviors, than ILE. This suggests experiences parallel COVID encourage development protective COVID-19-related