Meaning in Life of Medical Sciences Students During COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-sectional Study

The outbreak of coronavirus and its subsequent conditions have affected the mental health of students. One of the variables related to mental health is “meaning in life.” It enables students to endure sorrows and hardships to survive extremely difficult living conditions. Meaning in life is also inversely related to suicide and mental disorders. In this study, we intend to assess the meaning of life among students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran City, Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, 208 students participated. We used an internet-based data collection method between September 12 and September 24, 2021, to collect the study data. The data collection tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire concerning meaning in life. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive (frequency, mean, standard deviation) and inferential (Fisher exact-test, independent t-test, and 1-way analysis of variance) statistics.

Among the samples, there were 146 females (70.2%). The Mean±SD age of the participants was 21.50±2.74 years. The results showed that nearly 95% of students had neither meaning in life nor were looking for a meaning that would give value to their lives.

The results of this study indicate the catastrophe that prevails among students. When students have no meaning in life and do not look for meaning, they are highly vulnerable to psychological injuries. This condition is the worst psychological state a person can experience, which could lead to a feeling of depression and higher suicide risk. Health policymakers need to think about resolving the lack of “meaning in life” among students as soon as possible.