Assessment of mental wellbeing of undergraduate pharmacy students from 14 countries: The role of gender, lifestyle, health-related, and academic-related factors

Abstract

BackgroundPharmacy students will assume future roles as frontline healthcare providers. Therefore, evaluating their current state of mental wellbeing and its associated factors is essential for better planning students' support initiatives. This study aimed to assess mental wellbeing and its associated factors among undergraduate pharmacy students from 14 countries during the pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students in 14 countries in Asia and the Middle East. The validated Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (the 14-item WEMWBS) was adopted to assess mental wellbeing. Data collection was performed online between February and April 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used as appropriate.ResultsA total of 2,665 responses were received, mainly from females (68.7%) with a higher presence of private universities (59.1%). About 34.9% had low mental wellbeing levels, while 57 and 8.1% had medium, and high levels, respectively. Binary logistic regression showed that males (AOR: 1.34; CI 95%: 1.11–1.61; p < 0.01) and students with no chronic illnesses (AOR: 2.01; CI 95%: 1.45–2.80; p < 0.001) were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing. Also, participants who did not engage in any exercise (AOR: 0.71; CI 95%: 0.52–0.98; p = 0.04) and those in public universities (AOR: 0.82; CI 95%: 0.69–0.97; p = 0.02) were less likely to have higher mental wellbeing. Additionally, students who had interest/passion for pharmacy (AOR: 1.69; CI 95%: 1.07–2.68; p = 0.02), and those who known pharmacists inspired (AOR: 1.81; CI 95%: 1.06–3.12; p = 0.03), were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing compared with those who had no specific reason for their choice to study pharmacy. The participants with excellent (AOR: 1.87; CI 95%: 1.29–2.70; p = 0.001) or very good self-reported academic performance (AOR: 1.57; CI 95%: 1.12–2.22; p = 0.01) were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing compared to those with fair academic performance.ConclusionMore than a third of the participants had low mental wellbeing. Various demographic, lifestyle, medical and academic factors appeared to affect students' mental wellbeing. Careful consideration of these factors and their integration into the pharmacy schools' plans for student support services and academic advising would be essential to improve students' mental wellbeing.

Cross-sectional study of physical activity, dietary habits, and mental health of veterinary students after lifting of COVID-19 pandemic measures

“…In that study, a variety of factors were associated with low mental wellbeing, including academic distress, gender, physical activity, and body weight. The results of numerous studies, including our study, support that the mental health of professional students across many countries is a serious point of concern and one that school administrators should strive to address [ 6 , 9 , 10 , 19 , 27 , 28 ]. Additionally, the APA DSM-5 survey suggests a threshold for further investigation of clinically-relevant mental health concerns, but does not definitively diagnose these mental health concerns.…”

“…The mental health of students in Florida in April 2022 may not be representative of student experiences at other veterinary schools, or students who did not attend school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a larger, national as well as international study might find different results. A recent study of the mental wellbeing of pharmacy students across 14 countries determined that more than a third of students had low mental wellbeing [ 28 ]. In that study, a variety of factors were associated with low mental wellbeing, including academic distress, gender, physical activity, and body weight.…”

“…Additional limitations include the small sample size, particularly of certain sub-groups, and the dichotomization of variables such as gender identity and racial identity. Because sample size was small, assessment of interaction between predictor variables (e.g., vigorous exercise and student debt) could not be performed [ 6 , 9 , 10 , 19 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Suicide prevention curriculum development for health and social care students: Protocol for a scoping review

“…A suicide prevention programme targeted at healthcare and social care students provides an ideal opportunity to ensure a universal approach to suicide prevention in the healthcare system, as all graduates will begin their careers with similar knowledge, attitudes, and skills. In addition, a growing body of international evidence indicates that healthcare students may be at higher risk for poor mental health outcomes, suicidal ideation and behaviour [19][20][21]. For example, one cross-sectional study examining mental wellbeing and its associated factors among undergraduate pharmacy students from 14 countries (n = 2,665) found that more than one third of participants had poor mental wellbeing [21].…”

“…In addition, a growing body of international evidence indicates that healthcare students may be at higher risk for poor mental health outcomes, suicidal ideation and behaviour [19][20][21]. For example, one cross-sectional study examining mental wellbeing and its associated factors among undergraduate pharmacy students from 14 countries (n = 2,665) found that more than one third of participants had poor mental wellbeing [21]. Thus, incorporating suicide prevention training in the curriculum of health and social care students may have a positive impact on help-seeking behaviours among this cohort through improved mental health literacy [22,23].…”