OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic brought abrupt changes when quarantine measures were implemented. Most medical students had distance learning as their main content delivery mode, but in clerkship (fifth and sixth years), in-person activities were maintained under new protocols. These different modes may have affected student mental health. This study examines mental burden and empathy in medical students during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic according to the year of attendance. METHODS: All students attending first to the sixth year in the same medical school were invited to participate. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) were provided. RESULTS: HADS scores for Anxiety and Depression (n=347) were 9.8±4.3 and 7.1±3.6, respectively; the SRQ-20 (n=373) score was 8.1±4.5; all scores were negatively correlated with the year of attendance. IRI (n=373) scores were: 2.6±0.5 (Empathic Concern), 2.7±0.7 (Perspective Taking), 2.5±0.9 (Fantasy), and 1.7±0.7 (Personal Distress). Fantasy was negatively correlated with the year of attendance. MAAS scores were positively correlated with the year of attendance. Worse mental health scores were found for first-year students across all scales. CONCLUSIONS: We found high levels of mental burden in medical students in the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in first-year students, who may have fewer resources to deal with stress. Moreover, as they entered college a short time before the pandemic, they were unable to experience academic life fully or create important new social support networks to deal with adversities.

Resumo Trata-se de um estudo sobre a sobrecarga do cuidador dos pacientes com doença de Alzheimer atendidos em Centro de Referência em Distúrbios Cognitivos. Objetivo: Avaliar o perfil e a sobrecarga do cuidador dos pacientes com doença de Alzheimer atendidos em Centro de Referência em Distúrbios Cognitivos. Método: Foram obtidos dados demográficos do cuidador e sobrecarga de acordo com a Escala de Sobrecarga de Zarit. Os pacientes foram avaliados com os seguintes testes e escalas: Teste Cognitivo Cambridge (CAMCOG); Mini-Exame do Estado Mental; Inventário Neuropsiquiátrico (NPI), para a presença de sintomas neuropsiquiátricos; e o Questionário de Atividades Funcionais (QAF), de Pfeffer, para o comprometimento funcional. Resultados: Os 31 cuidadores eram predominantemente do sexo feminino, filhas, idade média 58,6 anos, escolaridade média de 8,1 anos; 70% dos cuidadores moravam com o paciente; 71% não trabalhavam. O tempo médio como cuidador foi de 3 anos. Vinte e sete por cento dos cuidadores apresentavam sobrecarga de intensidade leve a intensa. As variáveis que apresentaram associação significativa com a sobrecarga do cuidador foram os escores do NPI e do CAMCOG. Conclusão: As características sociodemográficas dos cuidadores foram semelhantes às de estudos feitos em outros países. Entretanto, sobrecarga foi menos freqüente do que em estudos internacionais. A intensidade dos transtornos neuropsiquiátricos e a gravidade do declínio cognitivo foram os principais fatores associados à sobrecarga nesta amostra constituída principalmente por pacientes com DA, com demência leve a moderada. Mais estudos são necessários para verificar se a sobrecarga do cuidador é menos intensa em nosso meio.

Abstract This is a study on burden of caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease attended at a Reference Center for Cognitive Disorders. Objective: To evaluate the profile and burden on caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease attended at a Reference Center for Cognitive Disorders. Methods: We collected demographic information and data on the relationship with the patient from caregivers, and measured burden with the Zarit scale. The patients were evaluated with the following scales: the Cambridge Cognitive Test (CAMCOG); Mini Mental State Examination, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory for neuropsychiatry symptoms, and Functional Activities Questionnaire - FAQ for functional impairment. Results: Of the 31 caregivers, 77.4% were female, predominantly, and daughters, having a mean age of 58.6 years, educational level of 8.1 years, 70% of caregivers co-resided with the patient and 71% did not work. The mean time as a caregiver was 3 years. Twenty-seven percent of the caregivers presented mild to severe burden. The variables presenting significant association with caregiver burden were scores on the NPI and CAMCOG. Conclusion: The social demographic characteristics of the sample were similar to those of studies performed in other countries. The average time as a caregiver and the frequency of caregivers with mild to intense burden were lower than those reported in international studies. Neuropsychiatric symptoms and severity of cognitive decline were the main factors associated to burden in this sample of mostly mild to moderate demented AD patients. Further studies are necessary to verify whether the burden is indeed less intense in our milieu.