Psychological wellbeing and mental health amongst medical undergraduates: A descriptive study assessing more than 1,000 medical students in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110272
Author(s):  
Dulangi Dahanayake ◽  
Harshini Rajapakse ◽  
Anuprabha Wickramasinghe ◽  
Miyuru Chandradasa ◽  
Yasodha Rohanachandra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

Background: Studies from around the world have shown higher rates of anxiety, depression, alcohol and other drug use, and burnout in medical students. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the socio-demographic factors and severity of difficulties Sri Lankan medical students face regarding psychological wellbeing and burnout. Method: This one-off survey used a cross-sectional design, assessing substance use, psychological wellbeing, and burnout using the CAGE, GHQ-12, and OLBI. The survey was open to all medical students in six universities in Sri Lanka. Chi-square analysis was used to assess the statistical significance related to categorical dependent variables and one-way ANOVA for continuous dependent variables. Results: A higher prevalence of diagnosed mental health conditions was found following admission to the medical course in comparison prior to admission. Sixty-two percent of students had a score of more than 2 on the GHQ-12 indicating caseness. The OLBI identified exhaustion in 79% of students. The CAGE questionnaire was positive in 4.8% of students. Conclusions: Only a small proportion of students are recognizing their mental health difficulties and seeking help. Further understanding is required as to why this is, as well as re-evaluation of the demands of the curriculum. Effective ways of regularly identifying and providing practical and evidence-based support for mental health problems in medical and other undergraduates need to be identified and introduced.

scholarly journals Comparative attitude and plans of the medical students and young Nepalese doctors

1970 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Lakhey ◽  
S Lakhey ◽  
SR Niraula ◽  
D Jha ◽  
R Pant
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Work Abroad ◽  
Job Prospects

Introduction: Many doctors are leaving Nepal to work abroad. To understand this problem better, we decided to study the attitude and plans of young doctors and medical students. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Kathmandu Medical College involving 65 firstyear medical students, 100 interns and 100 house officers. The data collected was entered in Microsoft excel and analysed by SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) programme. Chi-square test was used to compare two proportions. Significance level was set at 5%. Results: Only 2% house officers said that their job prospects were excellent as compared to 22.4% of students, whereas 20% house officers as compared to 9% students thought job prospects in Nepal were poor (p= 0.003). Eighty two percent of students thought that a doctor's service to his country was very important as compared to 51% of interns (p=‹ 0.001) and 58% of house officers. Forty percent of students, 58% of interns and 48% of house officers (no statistical significance between the three groups) planned to migrate to a developed country after graduation. Eighty eight percent of students, 89% interns and 74% of house officers (no statistical significant differences between the three groups) were of the opinion that improving career opportunities or working environment of the doctor could make the profession more attractive. Conclusion: Although majority of students, interns and house officers were of the opinion that a doctor's service to his community/country was very important, almost half of them still planned to migrate to a developed country after graduation. Improving the chances of professional advancement and professional working environment can make the profession more attractive, and therefore, may decrease this tendency for brain drain from our country. Key words: Attitude; medical students; migration; young doctors; statistical significance. DOI: 10.3126/kumj.v7i2.2717 Kathmandu University Medical Journal (2009) Vol.7, No.2 Issue 26, 177-182

scholarly journals DOES CAFFEINE INTAKE INFLUENCE MENTAL HEALTH OF MEDICAL STUDENTS?

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-28
Author(s):  
Zaleha Md Isa ◽  
Afraah Amani Anuar ◽  
Amirul Danial Azmi ◽  
Sanjeevaraj Tamil Selvan ◽  
Noor Shafiqah Hisham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Caffeine Intake ◽  
Caffeine Consumption ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Relationship Of

Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) consumption among students is known to increase alertness and energy, as well as to alleviate stress. There has been an increase of caffeine consumption amongst young adults. Currently, there are no studies regarding caffeine consumption and its influence on mental health among Malaysians. We aimed to determine the relationship of caffeine consumption with depression, anxiety and stress among medical students. A cross sectional study was conducted among medical students in the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Data were collected via an online survey using two questionnaires, namely the semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaires on Caffeine Intake and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). A total of 262 medical students completed the survey. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was 9.2%, 16.8% and 1.1%, respectively. Majority of students (98.5%) consumed caffeine from coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks and chocolate drinks/food. The median daily caffeine consumption among consumers was 67.98 (25th,75th percentile: 24.83, 139.71) mg/day. There was a significant association between race and anxiety (p=0.038) in which the Malay students had the highest prevalence (21.1%), followed by Indian (16.1%), other races (15.4%) and Chinese students (3.8%). Caffeine consumption did not influence mental health of medical students in this study. Anxiety is the most prominent mental health problem among them. We recommend a programme tailored to medical students in recognising symptoms of mental health problems so that early intervention can be carried out.

scholarly journals Geðræn líðan íslenskra ungmenna: Tengsl við vinnu með skóla?

2020 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 505-511
Author(s):  
Margrét Einarsdóttir ◽  
◽  
Ásta Snorradóttir ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Sleep Difficulty ◽  
Time Work ◽  
Mental Symptoms ◽  
Chi Square Test

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent mental health problems have increased in recent years, and such problems may predispose the adolescent to long-term mental illness in adulthood. In past decades it has become more common for Icelandic teenagers to work while attending school (term-time work). Nevertheless, research is missing on the association between the level of termtime work and mental health. The aim is to examine the association between six types of mental symptoms (tiredness after an adequate night's sleep, difficulty sleeping, depression, stress/anxiety, worries/sadness, and multiple symptoms) and level of term-time work, by gender, age, and family's financial status. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey applying a Nordic questionnaire based on self-assessed mental symptoms, was conducted among 2800 randomly selected adolscents, aged 13-19. The response rate was 48.6%. Participants were asked how often they felt symptoms of poor mental health. They were divided into three groups consisting of: non term-time workers, moderate term-time workers, and intensive term-time workers. A Chi-square test was used to test statistical significance: 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS show gender difference in the association between level of term-time work and the mental symptoms. Intensive female workers are more likely to suffer symptoms of poor mental health than female non-workers, but no relationship was examined amongst boys. Furthermore, some association between term-time work and poor mental health is found amongst 13-15-year-olds, and for those whose parents are financially well-off. CONCLUSION: It is important that all stakeholders promote that term-time work of adolescents is moderate and that the young people themselves receive occupational health and safety education to be better able to understand the connection between work and mental health.

scholarly journals The Duration of Reading the Qur'an with the Stress Levels in Medical Faculty Students in Palembang

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
Ahmad Ghiffari ◽  
Syahrul Muhammad ◽  
M. Avif Ababil
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Stress Scale ◽  
Chi Square Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

The level of stress in each education programs differ between medical students and other scholars. Students should able to cope to normalize their stress. The study aims to determine the relationship between the duration of reading the Qur'an with the level of stress on students. The study design was a cross-sectional study, with a simple random sampling. The collecting data technique was using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaires and duration questionnaires followed by the chi-square analysis. The respondents are 90 medical students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Palembang. The results showed that the duration of reading the Qur'an among students is poor, and the moderate duration is correlated with a good stress level (p=0,002). Concluded that there is a relation to the duration of reading The Qur'an with the level of stress in medical students.

scholarly journals Comparison of Perceived Covid-19 Related Mental Health Stress in SMI and Non-SMI Psychiatric Populations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Walker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Adjustment Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Life Changes ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in perceived COVID-19 associated mental health-related stress in individuals with psychiatric diagnoses at opposite ends of the DSM diagnostic severity spectrum. The opposite poles of the spectrum were represented by Adjustment Disorder (AjD) at one end and disorders categorized as Serious Mental Illness (SMI) at the other. The study hypothesized that persons with SMI disorders are more likely to report their mental health negatively affected by COVID-19 stress compared to individuals with non-SMI disorders. An observational, cross-sectional model was used to collect data from client intake forms completed between April 2020 and December 2020. Participants were 25 male and 23 female U.S. citizens (mean age = 32.9) diagnosed with either SMI or Adjustment Disorder. COVID-related mental health stress was measured by answering 'yes' or 'no' to the following question: "Do you feel that your mental health is being negatively impacted (for the worse) by the life-changes, hardships, and stress being caused by the current coronavirus outbreak?" A Pearson chi-square analysis was used to compare the two groups. Results indicated that individuals diagnosed with SMI disorders were significantly more likely to report their mental health negatively affected by COVID-related stress compared to individuals diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder (SMI 74% vs. AdJ 19%, p<.001). In this study, individuals with a pre-existing SMI disorder are almost four times (Risk Ratio: 3.89) more likely to be adversely affected by perceived stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic than individuals diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder. No significant differences were found between the two diagnostic groups on sociodemographic characteristics (gender/age/ethnicity). These findings suggest that the mental health of individuals diagnosed with SMI may be considerably more negatively impacted by current COVID-19 related stress and therefore require greater clinical attention compared to those diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder and other non-SMI diagnoses.

scholarly journals Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among jail inmates

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 1306
Author(s):  
J. S. Malik ◽  
Paritev Singh ◽  
Meenu Beniwal ◽  
Tarun Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Burden Of Illness ◽  
Prison Population ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Jail Inmates ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression

Background: There are about 1387 prisons in the country with an authorized accommodation of 356,561; however, the total number of jail inmates is 418536 indicating severe overcrowding in prisons. Prison population is an underserved section of the society. Often their health problems are neglected. They carry a much greater burden of illness than other members of the society; they harbour diseases that are determined both by the environment out of which they come and by the prison in which they live. Therefore, present study was conducted with the aim of studying the mental health status of persons from a section of our society, who were condemned by law and are behind the high walls.Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out on 400 convicted inmates in district jail, Rohtak, Haryana over the period of one and half years. Data was collected by interview method using DASS-21 scale and analysed by SPSS 20.0 and Chi square test was applied for results.Results: The prevalence of depression came out to be 18.5%, anxiety came out to be 8% and stress was found to be prevalent in 8% of the convicted inmates confined in jail which was much higher in comparison to general population.Conclusions: As the prevalence of depression, stress and anxiety was found much higher in convicts than the general population, there should be a timely screening, diagnosis and appropriate intervention to combat the mental health problems.

scholarly journals Psychiatric caseness in the person exposed to civil war in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
Jai Bahadur Khattri ◽  
Anil Subedi ◽  
Shweta Tirkey ◽  
Bharat Kumar Goit ◽  
Rabindra Kumar Thakur
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Exposed Population

Background: Civil war carries an enormous impact on psychological health of the population, but poorly understood. The objective of this study was to study the relationship between war expo­sure and psychiatric caseness. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jaimuni municipality of Baglung district of Nepal in 220 participants. The participants scoring more than or equal to 3 in the General Health Questionnaire-12 was labelled as “psychiatric caseness”. The participants were then interviewed regarding their civil war exposure. Results: The prevalence of psychiatric caseness was 47.7% in the war exposed samples. War ex­posed samples were found to be suffering from psychiatric caseness (47.7%) more often than non-exposed samples (28.4%) and there was a statistical significance between exposure to war and psychiatric caseness (p=0.005). Conclusions: There is a relationship between psychiatric caseness and war exposure in a statistical significant way. Future mental health policy of Nepal should address the mental health problems of war exposed population.

Mental health problems among youth in India and its correlates

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirti Gaur ◽  
Usha Ram
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Wealth Quintile ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence and socio-economic determinants of common mental disorders among youth in India. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilizes data from “Youth in India: Situation and Needs 2006-2007”. One-way analysis of variance is used to compare different groups. Poisson regression models are used to test the relationship of household, parental, and individual factors with mental health problems. Findings – An estimated 11-31 million youth suffer from reported mental health problems in India. Results suggest that the household and individual factors like place of residence, wealth quintile, age, education, and occupation are the most important determinants of mental health problems among Indian youth. Parental factors lose their statistical significance once individual factors are controlled. Research limitations/implications – Little is known about correlates of mental health among youth. Strengthening on-going programmes and creating awareness about mental health issues through various programmes may help improve scenario. The two limitations of the study are: first, data covering all the states would have given a broader and clear picture of the issue; and second, due to cross-sectional nature of the data the study is not able to look into the cause-effect relationship. Originality/value – There are few studies which have explored mental health problems covering smaller areas in India. This is the first and the largest study conducted on a representative population of Indian youth to determine the correlates of reported mental health problems using General Health Questionnaire-12.

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