Cómo vivieron la pandemia los estudiantes de último año de medicina: efectos en su salud mental y mecanismos de defensa

Introduction: COVID-19 illness in 2019/2020 had an overwhelming impact on healthcare workers, including final-year medical students whose internship learning experience and mental health were negatively affected. Methods: We performed a qualitative study with a phenomenological-interpretative approach. Group interviews were conducted, and each participant was asked to draw a picture representing what they experienced during the covid-19 pandemic. Results: Defense mechanisms such as denial and excision; feelings of anxiety, anguish, sadness, and fear; and positive perceptions of the pandemic were identified. Emerging categories such as burnout syndrome, coping tools, and educational barriers also appear. Discussion: The immature defense mechanisms that medical students employed during the internship year and their relationship with higher levels of stress and greater emotional exhaustion, as well as the report of situations that generated anxiety, distress, sadness, and fear, in addition to symptoms of burnout syndrome show the negative impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of this population.