Evaluation of the Perceptions and Attitudes of Medical Students Against the Covid-19 Pandemic

Aims:The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 pandemic has negatively affected human life all over the world.The current study aims to evaluate the perceptions and attitudes of medical students regarding the pandemic while raising awareness about the pandemic's social, economic, psychological, and academic reflections.Methods: The research data were obtained through a questionnaire administered to 371 medical students and literature reviews.The questionnaire was administered through Google Forms.While preparing the questionnaire, the Scale of Evaluation of Perceptions and Attitudes towards the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 outbreak was used.Results: It was found that male students and smokers viewed the disease as more dangerous, while female students presented avoidance behaviors more commonly.Students in the pre-clinical years tended to attribute the pandemic to conspiratorial and environmental reasons more than students in the clinical years.Second-and fourth-year students had higher avoidance behaviors than first-year students.Students who experienced the disease had higher scores in perception sub-dimensions, while students whose relatives had Coronavirus Disease of 2019 were more prone to avoidance behaviors.Conclusion: It was determined that the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 pandemic affected students' mental well-being negatively and that the students' perception of disease, cause, control, and avoidance behaviors differed according to factors such as gender, smoking status, grade, and experiencing the disease.