Prevalence of substance abuse and its associated factors among medical students: a cross-sectional study

Background: Substance abuse by medical students poses a significant risk not only on their personal life but also on their professional life by putting their patients at risk. Our study aims to find out the prevalence of substance abuse and factors associated with it among medical students. Methods: A descriptive, online-questionnaire based, cross-sectional study was carried out at Gandaki Medical College, a medical school in Gandaki Province of Nepal. Whole sampling technique was used. SPSS-25.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were used for analyzing demographic and substance abuse related variables. Chi square and Fishers exact test was used to find out if any differences existed in substance abuse by demographic characteristics. Results: Among 420 eligible participants, 219 participated in the survey (response rate: 52.2%). Alcohol was the most commonly used substance with overall lifetime prevalence of 58% followed by cigarette smoking and illegal drug abuse at 21.9% and 13.7%, respectively. The abuse of substances was significantly higher (p<0.05) in males, who were offered substances by friends, and amongst study participants who worked with an intoxicated colleague. The most common reason for substance abuse was “For pleasure, curiosity or to go along with friends” (23%, n=18). Major and minor dysfunction due to alcohol abuse was reported by 8(3.7%) and 33(15.1%) participants, while the same dysfunctions due to drug abuse were reported by 1(0.5%) and 14(6.4%) participants, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of substance abuse was high among medical students and was found to be associated with male gender, if offer of substances were made by friends, and amongst those who worked with an intoxicated colleague. This problem of substance abuse among medical students should be addressed timely as failing to do so might have serious consequences on the healthcare system of the country.

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Frequency and risk factors of internet addiction in medical students: a cross-sectional study

Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association ◽

10.47391/jpma.451 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Amina Ehsan ◽

Farwa Iqbal ◽

Muhammad Azeem Rao

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Medical Students ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Total Sample ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Online Relationships ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Objectives: The objectives of the study were to find out the prevalence of internet addiction and to determine the risk factors associated with internet addiction in medical students. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from July 2018 to August 2019. Our study population included medical students from all the years of MBBS aged 18-25 years, who have been using the internet for the past two years or more. A Stratified random sampling technique was used. Seventy-six self-administered questionnaires were distributed in each year. Data was entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25). Results: Out of the total sample of 380, the prevalence came out to be 90% (n=342). Two hundred and twenty-two 222 (58.4%) had mild, 115 (30.3%) had moderate, six (1.6%) had severe and 37 (9.7%) had no addiction. Out of the risk factors online friendships (p= 0.007), online relationships (P=0.035), online chatting (p= 0.009), online shopping (p= 0.009), online games (p=0.023) and online series/movies (p< 0.000) were statistically significant. Conclusion: The prevalence of internet addiction is high among medical students, which is mostly of a mild type. Internet addiction is more common in males and non-hostel residents. Other significant risk factors are online relationships, online gaming, and online series/movies. Keywords: Prevalence, internet, medical students, risk factors. Continuous...

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Prevalence of insomnia and anxiety in university students during the COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study

Journal of Fatima Jinnah Medical University ◽

10.37018/raux7717 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 9-12

Author(s):

Ameer Hamza Mahmood-ul-Hassan ◽

Abdul Sannan ◽

Nehala Nooz ◽

Ansa Ramay ◽

Muhammad Huzaifa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Severity Index ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Correlation And Regression Analysis ◽

The World

Background: The world is facing COVID-19 pandemic and almost 70% of the world had gone under Lockdown. People are facing stress, insomnia and anxiety. The lack of basic awareness and spread of fake news are common causes of all these issues. This study was done to determine the prevalence of insomnia and anxiety in medical and non-medical students. Subjects and methods: Subjects were approached through friends in universities using WhatsApp. People having insomnia and anxiety before quarantine were excluded from this study. People using anti-depressants and anti-psychotics before quarantine were also excluded from this study. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 965 students of medical and non-medical universities in the cities of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Consent was taken for using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Insomnia Severity Index for scoring of anxiety and insomnia respectively. An online questionnaire made in Google forms was used for data collection. Independent t-tests, Pearson Correlation and Regression analysis were performed using SPSS v25. Results: Increased prevalence of anxiety and insomnia in non-medical students as compared to the medical students was observed. There was statistically significant strong correlation between anxiety and insomnia of the enrolled subjects (r=0.742, p<0.001). A linear regression equation was formulated. Increased prevalence of anxiety and insomnia in females was also determined. Conclusion: Non-medical students, compared to medical students, among which, females, compared to males, were more likely to suffer from anxiety and insomnia during lockdown.

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Burnout among medical students of a medical college in Kathmandu; A cross-sectional study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253808 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253808

Author(s):

Dhan Bahadur Shrestha ◽

Nagendra Katuwal ◽

Ayush Tamang ◽

Agrima Paudel ◽

Anu Gautam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical College ◽

Study Participants

Background Medical students are more prone to burnout than the general population and students of other faculties due to the demanding nature of medical education with limited time and resources. Burnout has a negative impact on the academics and personal life of the students which can continue into their professional life and ultimately hamper patient care. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of burnout among medical students of a medical college and find its association with age, gender, and year of study. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a medical college in Kathmandu, Nepal from 14 January to 7 March, 2021. Stratified sampling followed by a simple random sampling technique was employed to select study participants. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire using the English version of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory adapted for students (OLBI-S) and analyzed in STATA version 15. Results The prevalence of burnout was found out to be 65.9% (n = 229). And of the remaining, 12.7% were exhausted, 11.4% were disengaged and 10.0% were neither exhausted nor disengaged. Burnout had no significant association with age in years, gender, and year of study. Conclusions This study shows an alarming prevalence of burnout in almost two-thirds of medical students. These results indicate the necessity of employing effective strategies by relevant authorities for the mental well-being of future physicians. Further multicenter prospective studies are required for a better understanding of the prevalence and associated factors of burnout.

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The IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON LEARNING OF UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY FROM KARACHI

Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal ◽

10.51253/pafmj.v70i6.4324 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (6) ◽

pp. 1902-07

Author(s):

Adina Anwar ◽

Erum Khan ◽

Munizha Nisar ◽

Rameesha Qutub ud Din ◽

Syed Rubaba Azim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Strong Association ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Online Classes ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

Objective: To assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on learning of undergraduate medical students ofKarachi. Study Design: A cross-sectional, observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted at conducted at the different public and private medicalcolleges, Karachi, from Mar to Apr 2020. Methodology: Google survey form based cross-sectional study conducted at the different public and privatemedical colleges, Karachi from March till April 2020. Non-probability consecutive sampling technique was used.This questionnaire consisted of 13 items which focused on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the learning ofundergraduate medical students from Karachi. Results: The study was conducted on 110 undergraduate students. Out of which, majority of the participantswere from third year 45 (41%) and second year of MBBS 25 (23%). It was found that almost 71% of the undergraduate students had less likely to remember and understand material taught in online class and 60% had less likely to get answers to their queries as compared to regular classes. The results also showed that 49% of the undergraduate students were disturbed by technical issues during online classes. Furthermore, it was also found that learning of 54 out of 110 undergraduate students was always affected due to loss of clinical rotations. Strong association were also found in between online satisfaction and stressful condition due to online classes. Conclusion: It was concluded that COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the learning of the undergraduatemedical students and have negatively impacted their satisfaction level towards their studies.

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Blood Donation Practice among Undergraduate Students in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Journal of Nepal Medical Association ◽

10.31729/jnma.5288 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 58 (232) ◽

Author(s):

Pravakar Dawadi ◽

Sabina Khadka ◽

Milan Chandra Khanal ◽

Raj Kumar Thapa

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Blood Donation ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

First Year ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical College

Introduction: Voluntary blood donation is a reliable source of increasing the demand for blood transfusion. Medical students are the potential pool of blood donors. This study aims to find the prevalence of blood donation practice among medical students of a medical college in Nepal. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in a medical college of Nepal among students studying from the first year to final year MBBS. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of the Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences (Ref no. 245). A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect data. A self-administered pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016. Results: The prevalence of blood donation practice among medical students of the medical college is 41 (22.20%) (17.35-27.05 at 95% Confidence Interval). The practice of blood donation is seen more among students of the final year 15 (35.71%) and the least among first year 3 (8.57%). Most of the donors, 24 (58.54%), have donated blood only once before. The most common reasons for donating and not donating blood before are ‘behavior of altruism’ 12 (29.27%) and ‘I am not fit/disapproved’ 44 (30.56%) respectively. Conclusions: This study shows less prevalence of blood donation practice among medical students. It points to the need for more extensive studies to explore the factors deterring medical students from donating blood. Definitive strategies are also needed to encourage medical students to increased voluntary participation in blood donation.

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Status of self-esteem in medical students of a college in Kathmandu: A descriptive cross sectional study

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.72824.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 1031

Author(s):

Bikal Shrestha ◽

Stuti Yadav ◽

Subodh Dhakal ◽

Pooja Ghimire ◽

Yubika Shrestha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

P Value ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Institutional Review ◽

The Status

Background: Self-esteem is vital to living a happy, confident and content life. Medical students experience various forms of stress due to academic, financial and social pressures which could affect their levels of self-esteem. This study aims to study the status of self-esteem among undergraduates of a medical college at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Methods: After receiving the ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (IRC) of NAIHS; we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among the first- to fifth-year medical students from December 2020 to April 2021. 190 were selected for the study using a stratified random sampling technique. This study used the Rosenberg self-esteem scale to measure self–esteem of the participants. A Google Forms questionnaire was sent to the participants via email. Then, the data obtained were entered in the Google sheet and later analyzed using SPSS 27. A Chi-square test was used to identify potential differences in self-esteem scores among different variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: This study included a total of 180 participants, among which, 18.9% (13.19% to 24.61%; at 95% CI) students showed low self -esteem. 74.4% (68.02% to 80.78%; at 95% CI) students had normal self-esteem and 6.7% (3.05% to 10.35%; at 95% CI) students had high self-esteem. The mean self-esteem score was 19.19 (15.01 to 23.37; at 95% CI). Female participants suffered more than males from low self-esteem, and third-year students had the highest percentage of low self-esteem (30.77%). Conclusion: The majority (74.4%) of medical students had normal self-esteem. However, 18.9% students had low self-esteem, among which, third-year students suffered the most (30.77%). Likewise, females exhibited higher prevalence of low self-esteem compared to males. Interventions to boost the level of self-esteem should be carried out to help medical students become confident and efficient doctors.

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SUBSTANCE ABUSE

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2014.21.02.2105 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (02) ◽

pp. 316-319

Author(s):

Shehzad Adil Mansoor ◽

Muhammad Muazzam ◽

Humayun Suqrat Hasan Imam

Keyword(s):

Substance Abuse ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Issues ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Political Will ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Study Population ◽

Day By Day

Objectives: To study the prevalence of substance abuse among prisoners and itseffects on other inmates. Study design: A cross sectional study. Place and duration of study:Central jail Faisal Abad Pakistan during Jan. 2012 to Feb 2012. Methodology: All the convictedand condemned prisoners were included in the study and those exclusively charged for drugsabuse crimes were excluded. A snow ball convenient sampling technique was adopted. Samplesize was not predetermined. The study population was (1080) male and above the age of 18years. Results: About one hundred and eighty four (184) prisoners were found using differentdrugs. Among them seventy six 76 (41.3%) started using drugs on entering the prison and onehundred and eight 108 (58.7%) were using drugs before coming to prison. The 91(49.5 %)belonged to rural area and 93 (50.5%) belonged to urban areas. The most commonly used drugwas heroin 181(96.7%) and 3(.6%) used different drugs like injections or pills. Conclusions:Substance abuse among prisoners was increasing day by day leading to increased crimes,health issues, and significant economic constrains in every country especially among poornations. Strong political will and public motivation was the need of time to deal with the issue.

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Prevalence of depression among medical students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2021.28.12.6164 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (12) ◽

pp. 1723-1731

Author(s):

Waseem Sajjad ◽

Anwisha Samreen ◽

Syed Asfand Yar Shah ◽

Afifa Batool ◽

Muhammad Umair ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Female Students ◽

Male Students ◽

P Value ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevalence Of Depression

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depression among medical students and its association with various sociodemographic characteristics. Study Design: Cross-Sectional Study. Setting: Nishtar Medical University, Multan. Period: August 2019 to September 2020. Material & Methods: A sample of 315 medical students were chosen by stratified random sampling technique. Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was used for screening and assessing the severity of depression. A special questionnaire was designed containing sociodemographic and educational characteristics. Data were collected via online forms and were analyzed using SPSS V26. Results: Out of 315 students, who participated in the study, 134 (42.5%) were female students, and 181 (57.5%) were male students. 63 (20%) students were taken from each academic year from 1st year through 5th year (final year). 64% of the students were suffering from depression. The proportion of students suffering from mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression was 27%, 18%, 11%, and 8% respectively. Depression was more prevalent among female students (73.1%) as compared to male students (58.0%) with a p-value <0.05. Conclusion: Depression is a serious problem for medical students. It was significant among female, preclinical students, living in the home with a family history of depression in financial pressure. It should be sorted out early to make early interventions.

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Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of medical students towards COVID19 in Sudan, 2020: A cross sectional study among 19 universities

10.21203/rs.3.rs-490884/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Radi Tofaha Alhusseini ◽

Mohammed Alfatih Abdoalgadir ◽

Khabab Abbasher Hussien Mohamed Ahmed ◽

Rua Isameldin Bakhiet Mohamed ◽

Monzer Omer Ahmed Abdalla ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Good Practice ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Emerging Diseases ◽

Further Education ◽

Initial Symptom ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Introduction: Since December 2019, an outbreak of severe respiratory infection (COVID-19) emerged in the city of Wuhan in China. It quickly spread around the world and is now a pandemic of epic proportions. Medical students are the future generation of doctors who will have to face this and any future similar catastrophe. The knowledge, awareness and practice of medical students toward Covid19 pandemic is of most importance as it demonstrates their preparedness to deal with this pandemic.Objective: To assess the knowledge, awareness and practice of medical students in 19 universities in Sudan about COVID 19.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study done in 19 universities which have medical schools in Sudan. Data from at least 100 medical students from each university was included in the study. Data was collected using an online questionnaire in April 2020.Results: 2603 medical students from 19 universities were included. Overall good knowledge and practice were demonstrated by the medical students (88.9%) and (78.6%), respectively. Respondents answered that the most common clinical symptoms of COVID-19 were fever (51.9%), dry cough (40.5%). The main combination of clinical symptoms was dry cough, fatigue and fever in (27.7%), and the first initial symptom was headache (48.4%.).(60.2%) wear medical masks, (94.9%) said that avoiding crowded places protects against the spread of Covid19. (50.9%) have confidence that Sudan can win the battle against the COVID-19 with (48.6%) amongst males and (52.2%) amongst females. 69.0% agreed that COVID-19 will finally be successfully controlled.Conclusion: This study showed that medical students in Sudan demonstrated excellent Knowledge and good practice toward Covid19.Recommendations: Although the results were very positive, further education and awareness should be carried out to increase the preparedness of medical students towards such pandemics and public health modules should also focus more on the importance of the knowledge of newly emerging diseases and the practices toward them.

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Attitude of Medical Students Towards Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-136183/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Abdelhaleem Mohammed ◽

Muneer Musa

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Current Approach ◽

Considerable Proportion ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Neurological Patients

Abstract Background: Medical students have unfavorable attitude towards Neurology and often perceive it as the most difficult medical specialty. This perception is described as " neurophobia " in the medical literature and its effects and potential solutions are being investigated in many countries around the world.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in which a questionnaire was administered to a sample of third, fourth, fifth and sixth years’ medical students at Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum. The sample size was 310 selected through stratified, systematic random sampling technique. In this study, the questionnaire includes the following aspects: demographic data, assessment of the level of interest in Neurology as a future career, evaluating the satisfaction with the neurosciences course, identifying the factors which affect the attitude of students towards Neurology, highlighting the most useful strategies in teaching Neurology.Results: Females constituted 71% of the respondents. 37.4% of the students had little or no interest and only 9.4% were strongly interested in Neurology.46.8% of the students graded their satisfaction with the course as neutral (i.e.: moderate) and 30.6% were unsatisfied with the delivered course (6.8% of them were strongly unsatisfied). Limited exposure to neurological patients and separation of basic sciences teaching from clinical application were considered as the top contributing factors to formation of this negative perception towards Neurology. Increased exposure to neurological patients, three dimensional simulators, video recordings, online resources as well as improving teaching skills of the lecturers were labeled as the most fruitful strategies to make progress in Neurology teaching.Conclusion: This study reveals that 'neurophobia' probably affects a considerable proportion of medical students in Khartoum University. It reflects the possible contributing factors; Besides It encourages the stakeholders to modify the current approach to neuroscience and neurology education, and in this regard, it puts forward several strategies to make an evolution in this arena.

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