The Relationship between Anxiety, Resilience, and Posttraumatic Growth of the Medical Students in COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran

Background: Medical students serve as frontline individuals to COVD-19 patients, and their mental health affects the quality and safety of the provided services. Objectives: The present study aimed to identify the relationship between anxiety, resilience, and posttraumatic growth of medical interns during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in Kerman and Isfahan, Iran, from June to September 2020. The socio-demographic questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RIS), and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) were completed by 235 medical students. Pearson correlation test and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean and standard deviation scores of anxiety, resilience, and posttraumatic growth were 10.49, 1.08, and 50.60, as well as 13.39, 65.70, and 15.90, respectively. The results showed no significant relationship between anxiety and resilience (r = 0.16 and P = 0.057). A positive and significant correlation was observed between resilience and posttraumatic growth (r = 0.42 and P = 0.000). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was found between anxiety and posttraumatic growth scores (r = -0.20 and P = 0.002). Conclusions: In sum, the more resilient and less anxious a person was, the greater his/her posttraumatic growth became. Therefore, it was recommended that appropriate psychological interventions be designed and implemented to improve the mental health of medical interns.