A Study on the Psychological Well‐Being and Professional Identity of Medical Students Following Post‐Epidemic Reopening

ABSTRACT Background At the peak of the COVID‐19 pandemic, medical students' mental health and professional identity underwent major changes. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting these changes and provide a scientific basis for the teaching of organizational psychology in universities under the background of reopening after the pandemic. Methods We investigated medical students from Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, and Southern Medical University between December 19 and 28, 2022, using a researcher‐designed questionnaire. The questionnaire included the Depression‐Anxiety‐Stress Scale and professional identity questions. Continuous variables were analyzed with independent t ‐tests (parametric) and categorical variables were evaluated using χ 2 tests. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to assess differences across subgroups. Results In total, 36.43% (98 of 269) of medical students had an abnormal mental health status, with depression being the most common condition reported. Regarding factors influencing medical students' professional identity, five professional identity dimensions (with the exception of professional behavior) showed a downward trend as grade increased, and the overall professional identity score for student cadres was higher than that of nonstudent cadre medical students. Conclusions Following the reopening after the COVID‐19 pandemic, the prevalence of depression in medical students was high. Grade and whether they were student leaders were the main factors that affected medical students' mental health and professional identity.