Pre-existing mental health problems in medical students: a retrospective survey

IntroductionSuicide is a major public health problem, especially in young people. It is one of the most significant causes of mortality and potential years of life lost. Medical students are a vulnerable group presenting mental health problems.ObjectivesTo study the prevalence of common mental illnesses among medical students from the university of Valladolid in order to assess the need for intervention programs.MethodsCross-sectional study in which, 584 students participated during the academic year 2015–2016 by completing an online self-administered questionnaire. Mental health outcomes were measured by different batteries of depression, anxiety and suicide (BDI, GAD-7 and MINI). Information about possible related risk factors was also obtained. Statistical Chi2 and Student t-tests were applied to estimate associations between socio-demographic, socioeconomic data and clinical results.ResultsWe found a prevalence of 15.8% for depression, 11.6% for ideation suicide and 38.5% for anxiety, with gender differences in the latter case. Prevalence rates were higher than those described in general population. Compared to other international studies, prevalence estimates were also higher among our sample.ConclusionsThis study shows for the first time data of these three psychiatric disorders among medical students in Spain. It suggests the urge to implementing preventive activities to alleviate maladaptive behaviors, academic stress, improve the quality of life and adaptation of students to college life. Larger, prospective, multicentre studies are needed to draw conclusions about the causes and consequences of students’ stress, since evidence shows that mental health problems are perpetuated throughout professional performance.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Factor structure of the University Personality Inventory in Japanese medical students

BMC Psychology ◽

10.1186/s40359-020-00469-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Norio Sugawara ◽

Norio Yasui-Furukori ◽

Masayuki Sayama ◽

Kazutaka Shimoda

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Medical Students ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Health Problems ◽

Personality Inventory ◽

University Admission ◽

The University

Abstract Background The age of onset for most mental disorders is typically young adulthood, and the university setting is an important one for addressing mental health. The University Personality Inventory (UPI), which was developed to detect mental health problems in university students, is widely used for screening in Japan. However, there have been limited reports on the factor structure of the UPI based on a statistical test for binary indicators. The objective of this study was to assess the factor structure of the UPI in Japanese medical students. Methods This study examined the factor structure of the UPI in a sample of 1185 Japanese medical students at the time of university admission. The students were divided into subgroup A (n = 589) and subgroup B (n = 596) according to their year of university admission. Based on tetrachoric correlation coefficients, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with promax rotation was applied to explore the dimensions of the inventory in subgroup A. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then conducted to verify the dimensions in subgroup B. Results The EFA with categorical variables yielded four factors in subgroup A. These factors, accounting for 48.9% of the variance, were labeled “Depression and Irritability”, “Anxiety and Persecutory Belief”, “Physical Symptoms”, and “Dependence”. The new four-factor structure showed good fit, and traditional factor structures previously reported were replicated via CFA. The internal consistency reliability was good for the overall UPI scale (alpha = 0.97) and for its four new factors (alpha = 0.83–0.91). Conclusions The UPI is a valid and reliable measure that can be used to assess symptoms across four dimensions of mental health in university settings. These findings offer a starting point for the detection of individuals with mental health problems.

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Common mental health problems and associated factors among medical students of University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Journal of Mental Health ◽

10.1080/09638237.2021.1875404 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Chibuike E. Nwachukwu ◽

Edward O. Olufunmilayo ◽

Victor O. Otor ◽

Aliu O. Yakubu ◽

Akintoba E. Akingbade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Common Mental Health Problems ◽

University Of Ibadan ◽

Ibadan Nigeria

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Exploration of mental health problems in association with health-promoting lifestyle profile in Iranian medical students: A cross-sectional study

Journal of Education and Health Promotion ◽

10.4103/jehp.jehp_582_19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 84

Author(s):

Fatemeh Paknazar ◽

Nilufar Safaie ◽

Sara Ketabi ◽

Naimossadat Kia ◽

Majid Mirmohammadkhani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Problems ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Health Promoting Lifestyle

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A Cross-Sectional Study on Mental Health Problems of Medical and Nonmedical Students in Shandong During the COVID-19 Epidemic Recovery Period

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.680202 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaolei Zheng ◽

Yuji Guo ◽

Hui Yang ◽

Liyan Luo ◽

Bailiu Ya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

College Students ◽

Medical Students ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Health Problems ◽

Shandong Province ◽

Psychological Problems ◽

Medical College

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a plethora of psychological problems worldwide since its onset in December 2019. In the upheaval period, compared with medical college students, nonmedical students' psychological state deserves additional concern due to their lack of medical knowledge. Although the epidemic in China has been largely controlled for several months, the mental health problems resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic persist to this day. In this study, we assessed the mental health problems and associated risk factors experienced by nonmedical vs. medical college students in universities of Shandong Province during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period.Methods: An online survey was conducted over the period from 17 to 19 December 2020. A total of 954 Chinese college students (486 nonmedical and 468 medical students) from three universities of Shandong Province participated in the survey. Mental health variables were assessed with use of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).Results: Compared with medical students, nonmedical college students had higher prevalence rates of depression (53.9 vs. 46.4%; p = 0.020) and insomnia (28.0 vs. 22.4%, p = 0.049), as well as higher total scores on the PHQ-9 (p = 0.03) and ISI (p < 0.01). Among nonmedical college students, being female and native of non-Shandong were risk factors for anxiety and depression (p < 0.01), while only native of non-Shandong for insomnia (p < 0.01). Among medical students, age (p < 0.01) and living in rural areas (p = 0.04) were risk factors for depression, while only age (p < 0.05) was a risk factor for anxiety and insomnia.Conclusion: Nonmedical college students in the universities of Shandong Province had more mental health problems and more risk factors for developing them during the COVID-19 epidemic recovery period than medical students. These nonmedical students require additional attention and recovery programs to alleviate the increased incidence of psychological problems related to COVID-19.

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Mental health and burnout in Nepalese medical students: an observational study

Middle East Current Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s43045-021-00134-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bikram Kafle ◽

Yashoda Bagale ◽

Murtaza Kadhum ◽

Andrew Molodynski

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Early Identification ◽

Psychiatric Illness ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Factors Associated

Abstract Background Mental health problems among medical students are highly prevalent internationally. There have been very few studies however in Nepal. This study aimed to assess the frequency of mental health problems and burnout in Nepalese medical students. Results A total of 169 students responded to the questionnaire. Half (50%) of the surveyed students had some form of mental health problem according to the GHQ-12, while the OLBI showed that 85% students were disengaged and 65% were exhausted. The CAGE screening tool was positive in 14%, and 11% described illicit drug use. Sixty-four percent of students identified their academic studies as their major source of stress. Conclusions Timely recognition of mental health problems is imperative to avert psychiatric illness. Training on early identification and management of stress would be helpful. Further studies are required to identify the factors associated with poor mental health.

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