Background The coronavirus pandemic poses many challenges for medical personnel. During the first phase of the pandemic, psychological stress became increasingly apparent. This was a complex and difficult situation, especially for physician residents specializing in family practice (GP trainees), who were not yet able to draw on years of practical experience. In this context, the Kompetenzzentrum Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin Sachsen (Competence Center for Continuing Education in General Medicine Saxony) (KWASa) developed a survey on how to deal with the concerns and challenges perceived at the time. The purpose of the study was to obtain information on psychological well-being in the pandemic context, as well as on expectations, fears, and protective measures in everyday work. The aim was to identify stress factors for general practice (GP) trainees during a pandemic situation to be able to consider the support needs in the design of future residency training programs, especially for GP trainees. Methods An online questionnaire was distributed from May 5, 2020 to June 4, 2020 among GP trainees enrolled in KWASa since 2018. The questionnaire consisted of standardized items, which were evaluated descriptively, and open-ended items with free-text answers, which were evaluated according to the principle of qualitative content analysis. Results The results show the relevance of the topic as 61% of respondents indicated that they were concerned about the coronavirus. Most GP trainees also gave an affirmative response regarding emotional challenges. In this context, various stressors could be identified within both the professional and personal environments. There were four particularly salient factors: (1) the fear of infecting one’s family as well as patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus; (2) missing or insufficiently existing protective measures; (3) an increased need for consultation due to unpredictable patient behavior as well as uncertainties in patient treatment; and (4) communication difficulties within the collegial environment. Conclusions The study aimed to identify the support needs of GP trainees in crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the survey can be used for the development of suitable continuing education programs for physicians in further training.

Ziel der Studie ist es, einen Überblick über die Entwicklung der psychischen Gesundheit von Schülern der 5. bis 10. Klassen (Sekundarstufe I) im Freistaat Sachsen in den vergangenen Jahren zu bekommen. Dabei sollen vor allem der zeitliche Verlauf vor und seit Beginn der Corona-Pandemie im März 2020 und damit einhergehende Schutzmaßnahmen im Mittelpunkt stehen. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen der Studie sollen Aussagen getroffen werden, inwiefern und in welchem Ausmaß die Pandemie Einfluss auf die psychische Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen genommen hat. Sie dienen als Grundlage für das weitere Handeln des Freistaats Sachsen und die Sicherung der kinder- und jugendpsychiatrischen sowie -psychotherapeutischen Versorgung. Redaktionsschluss: 31.01.2023