THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF MEDICAL STUDENTS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the scientific evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life of medical students. This is an integrative review, reported according to the PRISMA 2020 recommendations, with searches in PubMed/MEDLINE, the Virtual Health Library and SciELO, which included original studies published between 2020 and 2025 in Portuguese, English or Spanish. Of the 70 unique records identified, 20 studies were included, conducted in 12 countries, with samples ranging from 61 to 4,972 participants. The psychological domain was the most affected, with a high frequency of symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and common mental disorders, as well as poorer sleep quality, increased screen time and reduced physical activity. Female sex, early years of the course, previous psychiatric illness and lower income were associated with poorer quality of life, whereas physical activity, social support, resilience, spirituality and mindfulness acted as protective factors. It is concluded that the pandemic had a negative impact mainly on the psychological dimension of these students' quality of life, which reinforces the need for permanent institutional actions to promote mental health in medical education.