Depression among Brazilian medical students exposed to remote learning and the role of scopophobia

Abstract

Medical education was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and remote teaching through lectures and classes through videoconferencing was heavily used. However, the need to use cameras led to scopophobia, which is the fear of being watched, which can lead to psychological symptoms. Despite the relevance and prevalence of depression and the increase in the use of cameras for learning, research evaluating the impact of scopophobia on students’ mental health is surprisingly scarce. Hence, to fill up this gap, a cross-sectional study was carried out in medical schools in Brazil. To assess the presence of depressed mood, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was applied. We used logistic regression models to verify the associations. The overall prevalence of positive PHQ9 found in our study was 62%. By studying the factors associated with a high risk of scopophobia, we could identify that the PHQ was statistically associated with scopophobia (odds ratio 2.43 (confidence interval 1.11–5.26), adjusted p value = .0269). Also, a lower family income, a higher number of household inhabitants, and female gender were associated. These results suggest that scopophobia is associated with depression, leading us to believe that interventions to mitigate this risk in students are opportune, especially if targeted at lower-income students.

Keywords:

• Depression
• education
• medical
• fatigue
• COVID-19
• undergraduate

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, HALR. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Mateus Sudário Alencar

Mateus Sudário Alencar, MD, is a medical teacher and an oncology physician with great interest in research in the area of medical education. Master in Teaching Methodologies.

Marcos Kubrusly

Marcos Kubrusly, MD, PhD, is a medical teacher and a nephrologist with a great interest in research in the area of medical education. Doctor in Néphrologie – Universite de Paris V (Rene Descartes).

Bianca oriá Almada de Aquino

Bianca Oriá Almada de Aquino is a medical student with a great interest in research in the area of medical education.

Isadora Néri Viana

Isadora Néri Viana is a medical student with a great interest in research in the area of medical education.

Pedro Iughetti Morais

Pedro Iughetti Morais is a medical student with a great interest in research in the area of medical education.

Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha

Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha, MD, PhD, is a medical teacher and an epidemiologist with a great interest in research in the area of medical education. Post-Doctor in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.