Prevalence and Associated Factors of Psychological Distress and Burnout among Medical Students: Findings from Two Campuses

Medical training is intensive and predisposes students to psychological distress and burnout. Unaddressed burnout in medical training may persist in the internship phase and impact the quality of patient care. While some associations have been established, the link between some individual factors and training characteristics with distress and burnout in medical training remained unclear. In this study, we aim to examine the prevalence of psychological distress and burnout, and its association with gender, training phase, funding status, cumulative grade points average (CGPA), and coping strategies among medical students. The study applied a multicenter cross-sectional study design and convenience sampling on medical students from two medical schools from Malaysia and India. We used a self-reporting instrument that includes demographic details, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE). A total of 748 medical students participated in the study. The prevalence of psychological distress, personal-related, work-related, and patient-related burnout were 33.0%, 56.1%, 35.0%, and 26.2%, respectively. Being male, clinical year, self-funded, and having a CGPA of more than 3.50 predicted psychological distress and burnout with mixed results. Maladaptive coping mechanisms consistently predicted the risk of psychological distress and burnout by more than two times. The findings indicate that primary and secondary mental health interventions have a role in medical training. A systematic intervention should incorporate coping skills training alongside institutional-targeted intervention.

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STRESS, STRESSORS, AND COPING STRATEGIES BETWEEN PRE-CLINICAL AND CLINICAL MEDICAL STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine ◽

10.37268/mjphm/vol.20/no.1/art.503 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 175-183

Author(s):

Retneswari Masilamani ◽

Mohammed Abdulrazzaq Jabbar ◽

Chang Swee Liang ◽

Hilary Lim Song You ◽

Lai Jian Kai Jonathan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Study Population ◽

And Coping ◽

Self Administered Questionnaire

Stress in medical education has been inevitable among medical students. However, the prevalence of stress among pre-clinical and clinical medical students differed by year of study. There were several stressors reported to affect medical students. Therefore, effective coping strategies were applied to manage the stress faced by medical students. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress, stressors and coping strategies comparing pre-clinical and clinical Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) medical students, and the associated stressors and stress among them. This was a cross-sectional study with a study population of 223 medical students. Universal sampling was used. A self-administered questionnaire which included socio-demographic characteristics, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Medical Students Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) and the Brief COPE Inventory were used in this study. The overall prevalence of stress among medical students was 48.15%. Clinical students had a higher prevalence of stress (53.73%) compared to pre-clinical students (39.02%). Year 3 students had the highest prevalence of stress (64.58%) compared to other years of study. Nearly 1 out of 2 medical students were stressed (48.15%). Academic Related Stressor ranked the highest and Acceptance was the most practiced coping strategy. The only associated stressor with stress was Academic Related Stressor.

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Is device-based total and domain-specific sedentary behaviour associated with psychological distress in Flemish workers?

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa144 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Katrien De Cocker ◽

Margo Ketels ◽

Jason A Bennie ◽

Els Clays

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Sedentary Behaviour ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Modern Society ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physically Active ◽

Work Related ◽

Domain Specific

Abstract Background There is increasing interest in the association between psychological distress and time spent in sedentary behaviour (e.g. sitting), a highly prevalent behaviour in modern society. The limited evidence is mixed and mainly based on studies using self-reported sedentary time. Few studies have investigated device-based total sedentary time in its association with distress. None, however, have examined device-based domain-specific sedentary time in relation to psychological distress. The aim of this study was to investigate whether device-based total and domain-specific sedentary behaviour were associated with psychological distress. Methods Flemish employees (n = 401; 20–64 years; 42.6% male; 83.6% had a ‘physically active occupation’) of seven organizations in service and production sectors participated. Sedentary behaviour (exposure) was assessed by two Axivity AX3 accelerometers (one placed on the thigh and one placed between the shoulders) for two to four consecutive working days. Based on diary completion, domain-specific sedentary behaviour (leisure vs. work) was assessed. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire was used to assess psychological distress (outcome). Adjusted hierarchical multiple regression models were conducted to report on the associations between total and domain-specific sedentary behaviour and psychological distress. Results About 35% of the sample had high levels of distress and average total sedentary time was 7.2 h/day. Device-based total sedentary behaviour [B = −0.009, 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.087 to 0.068], leisure-time (B = 0.001, 95% CI, −0.017 to 0.018) and work-related (B = 0.004, 95% CI, −0.006 to 0.015) sedentary behaviour were not significantly associated with psychological distress. Conclusion This cross-sectional study examining the association between device-based total and domain-specific sedentary behaviour and psychological distress among employees showed a lack of significant findings.

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Mental Health of Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Tehran

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.100.2.346-354 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 100 (2) ◽

pp. 346-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Mohammad Shariati ◽

Masud Yunesian ◽

Javad Homayoun Vash

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Mental Distress ◽

Medical Training ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Medical Schools ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Grade Point ◽

Financial Status ◽

Data Collection Sheet

Medical students are subject to stress from sources related to medical training in addition to personal problems, resulting in significant mental distress. This study evaluates the scope of the problem in Tehran medical schools and sheds light on some of its associations. Students (604) of medicine from four medical schools in the city of Tehran responded to the Persian version of 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) in conjunction with a data collection sheet asking about age, sex, marital status, current training level, living place, grade point average in previous semester, and perceptions of their financial status. Of 602 students, 40.7% had mental distress (45.7% of female and 36.7% of male students). Distress was associated with being a woman (female to male odds ratio: 1.55) and very poor financial status (OR: 18.0).

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Inverse Correlation between Stress and Adaptive Coping in Medical Students

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2020.5115 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (E) ◽

pp. 623-629

Author(s):

Zafar Rasheed ◽

Ali Shariq ◽

Abdulmonem Alsalhi ◽

Saleh Almesned ◽

Saud Alhussain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Inverse Correlation ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Female Students ◽

Living Alone ◽

Adaptive Coping ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope

BACKGROUND: Medical students in their academic years are generally under stress but very few studies revealed the relationship between the stress and how the students manage to adapt these stressful conditions. AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the levels of stress and their adaptive coping in the 1st 3 years medical students and also to determine the factors associated with adaptive coping strategies. METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 441 medical students of Qassim University from September-October 2019. First 3 years medical students were randomly selected and their stress levels or adaptive coping strategies were determined by general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) and strategies coping mechanisms (SCM), respectively. The 5-points Likert scale was used for scoring and the data obtained were further validated by DASS and Brief COPE scales. RESULTS: Out of 441 medical students, 39.2% agreed to participate. The data showed that the level of stress among students was highest during their 1st year academic blocks, followed by 2nd and 3rd year students. Interesting, the adaptive coping among them was found highest during the academic blocks of 3rd year students, followed by the 2nd and 1st year students. Importantly, female students showed better adaptation against stress. Students living with their parents avoided stress in better ways as compared to those who were living alone. CONCLUSION: This is the first study that shows an inverse correlation between the stress and adaptive coping in medical students of Qassim University. The data concluded that adaptation of stress in the 3rd-year students was the highest followed by 2nd and 1st year medical students. Moreover, female students adapted well against stress and students living alone showed worse adaptation of stress.

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STRESS, STRESSORS AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG UNIVERSITY NURSING STUDENTS

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine ◽

10.37268/mjphm/vol.19/no.2/art.168 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 20-28

Author(s):

Retneswari Masilamani ◽

Myat Moe Thwe Aung ◽

Hamidah Othman ◽

Aini Abu Bakar ◽

Tan Chung Keat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nursing Students ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Nursing Student ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Student Nurses ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope ◽

And Coping

Literature has documented that student nurses undergo stress in their academic and clinical setting. This raises concerns because stress during undergraduate training may result in psychological or emotional impairment during the nurses’ professional life and ultimately affect the quality of patient care. The Objective of the study was to study the prevalence of stress, and the association between sociodemographic factors, stressors and coping strategies with stress. This was a cross-sectional study on 96-year 1-3 nursing students from a government university done between 2015-2018. Bahasa Malaysia translated The General Health Questionnaire, Stressors in Nursing Student Scale Questionnaire and Brief COPE Questionnaire was used in this study. This study had Malay (95.9%) and female (91.7%) dominated population. The prevalence of stress in student nurses was 25%. No association was reported between sociodemographic factors and stress. Among the 4 stressors educational, clinical, confidence and financial, clinical stressor scored the highest mean 6.40 (SD±3.66). Confidence stressor (AOR=1.26 95% CI 1.04-1.53) was the only stressor associated with stress. The top 3 coping strategies practiced by the student nurses were religion (praying), acceptance and planning. Self-blame (AOR 8.18 95% CI 1.86-35.91) was the only coping strategy associated with stress. Stress management programmes, and workshops on stress and coping strategies should be conducted yearly to ensure a well-balanced environment for good learning experiences and prevent stress related health problems and improved academic performance.

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GENERAL WELL BEING AND COPING DURING LOCKDOWN IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

10.36106/ijsr/5240984 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Saumya Kaushik ◽

C.K. Gupta

Keyword(s):

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Coping Behaviors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Positive Reframing ◽

Online Forms ◽

And Coping

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in major measures being taken to curb the transmission of the virus, one of which was , the lockdown. The current study aims to assess the general well being and coping mechanisms of the self isolated population of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. A cross sectional study was conducted using online forms on 432 participants .The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections- sociodemographic variables with COVID stressors; General health questionnaire 12 and Brief COPE scale. The mean scores of the GHQ scores and coping scale were computed. The results show that mean GHQ score of the population was 10.72. The major coping behaviors of the respondents were by self distraction, active coping,use of emotional support, positive reframing, planning, acceptance and religion; while denial and substance abuse had the lowest scores. The respondents scored the highest for acceptance as a way of coping.

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Psychological distress among final year medical undergraduates in a Sri Lankan university

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20174483 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (11) ◽

pp. 3952

Author(s):

Guwani Liyanage

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Medical Students ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Clinical Work ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Academic Pressure ◽

Medical Undergraduates ◽

Psychological Impairment ◽

Long Course

Background: Studying medicine is challenging since medical students undergo many stressors during their long course of studying. Moreover, their final year is probably more stressful with more clinical work and stringent assessments. Aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and sources of psychological distress among final year students in University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka with a well validated screening tool. Methods: This is a cross sectional study of 151 medical students evaluating stress through general health questionnaire (GHQ) with 30 items. Comparison was made with another 257 non-medical undergraduates of the same university. Results: More than half of students (59.6%) in our university had psychological distress. When compared medical students (62.9%) are more distressed than non-medical (56.4%) students. Major source of stress for medical students was academic pressure. Conclusions: Final year medical students have significantly high psychological impairment and the main reason reported by students was academic pressure. It warrants implementation of stress management programs and curriculum based interventions to minimize stress.

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Psychiatric morbidities and Coping strategies in patients with different Coronavirus disease-2019 severities and chronic medical diseases: A multicenter cross-sectional study

10.1101/2020.12.22.20248379 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hend Ibrahim Shousha ◽

Nagwan Madbouly ◽

Shaimaa Afify ◽

Noha Asem ◽

Rabab Maher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Coping Styles ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope ◽

And Coping ◽

Anxiety Depression

AbstractCOVID-19 patients, especially those with chronic medical illnesses (CMI), may use different coping strategies, to reduce their psychological distress while facing the COVID-19 infection. The aim was to compare anxiety, depression and coping styles between patients infected with COVID-19 disease with and without CMI during the peak of COVID-19 disease in Egypt. This is a cross sectional study, that included an online survey consisting of Arabic versions of General Health Questionnaire-12, Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Brief-COPE scale. Questionnaires were distributed to adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection during their quarantine in Egypt. One hundred ninety-nine patients responded to the survey, where 46.73% of them had CMI. Religion, emotional support, use of informational support and acceptance were the most used coping strategies by participants. Avoidant coping strategies were frequently used by divorced patients, home quarantined individuals, patients who developed COVID-19 related anxiety/depression and patients who didn’t receive hydroxyl-chloroquine. Approach strategies were frequently used by patients with mild COVID-19. Understanding the used coping strategies has implications for how individuals might be helped to manage their illness during the current presentation and intervene with development of serious long-term mental health conditions.

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Suicidal Ideation Among Medical Students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000720 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Mohammed Madadin ◽

Ritesh G. Menezes ◽

Maha A. Alassaf ◽

Abdulaziz M. Almulhim ◽

Mahdi S. Abumadini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Medical Students ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Eastern Province ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Past ◽

Depression Subscale ◽

History Of

Abstract. Background: Medical students are at high risk of suicidal ideation. Aim: We aimed to obtain information on suicidal ideation among medical students in Dammam located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine affiliated with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Suicidal ideation in the past 12 months was assessed based on responses to four questions in the depression subscale of the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28). In addition, data were collected to examine the association of suicidal ideation with various factors. Results: We found that 1 in 3 medical students in the study had suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, while around 40% had lifetime suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was associated with feelings of parental neglect, history of physical abuse, and dissatisfaction with academic performance. Limitations: The cross-sectional nature of this study limits its ability to determine causality regarding suicidal ideation. Conclusion: These rates are considerably high when compared with rates from studies in other countries around the world. This study provides a reference in the field of suicidology for this region of Saudi Arabia.

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Mother-Father Differences in Postnatal Psychological Distress and Its Determinants in Iran

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2017.009 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 91-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hassan Mahmoodi ◽

Farzaneh Golboni ◽

Haidar Nadrian ◽

Moradali Zareipour ◽

Shayesteh Shirzadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Mode Of Delivery ◽

Family Health ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Care Providers ◽

Cross Sectional

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the mother-father differences in Postnatal Psychological Distress (PPD) and its determinants among the parents with 8-weeks old children.MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, applying simple random sampling, 306 postnatal parents with an 8-weeks old infant in Saqqez County, Iran, were invited to answer the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) items through the telephone interview. Fifty-eight subjects declined to participate in the study (Response Rate = 81.04%). The data were analysed using the SPSS Statistics v. 21.RESULTS: About 16.9% of all the parents had PPD. The difference in the prevalence of PPD in three dimensions between the two groups were statistically significant (p < 0.01): social dysfunction (25.8% for fathers vs. 5.6% for mothers), somatic disorders (21% for fathers vs. 7.3% for mothers), and anxiety (21% for fathers vs. 6.5% for mothers). The mode of delivery of the mothers and the level of education, the number of children, monthly income, and being consent with pregnancy among the fathers were significant predictors for PPD.CONCLUSION: The level of PPD was more prevalent among the new fathers compared to the new mothers. Among the fathers, but not the mothers, socioeconomic characteristics were contributed to PPD. Considering the differences in risk factors for maternal and paternal PPD, our findings may help family health care providers and policymakers in designing gender-specific intervention programs and diagnosis tools aimed at PPD prevention among new parents.

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