COVID-19 Pandemic: attitudes-facilities as a mediator between self-care and mental wellness among medical science interns

Bello-Vidal C.; Becerra-Medina L.; La Rosa-Botonero J.L.; Capa-Luque W. · Revista de Salud Publica (2022) · DOI: 10.15446/rsap.v24n4.100801

Resumen

Objective To determine in health sciences interns if self-care is a factor whose direct effect on mental wellness is mediated by attitudes and facilities during internship, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method Cross-sectional, multivariate correlational research. 174 interns participated during the COVID-19 pandemic, selected by convenience sampling; three self-report scales were applied. Results Among the health sciences interns, being a woman, having a family member at home infected with COVID-19, and having an unfavorable general health status perception are risk factors that are likely to have a negative state of mental wellness (1.9>OR<3.9); while self-care together with attitudes and facilities during the internship are protective factors to counteract the existence of a negative state of mental wellness (OR<1; p<0.05). The structural regression model shows that self-care variables such as attitudes adopted, and facilities experienced by students in the internship have direct effects on mental wellness; likewise, attitudes and facilities play a mediating role between self-care and mental wellness (CFI=0.96; TLI=0.95; RMSEA and SRMR<0.08). The model as a whole explains 50.7% of the variability of mental wellness. Conclusion Self-care is a factor whose direct effect on mental wellness is mediated by attitudes and facilities in internship during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal