Prevalence and risk factors associated with common mental disorders among medical students

Abstract

Objective: To identify the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) in medical students at Vila Velha University (UVV), ES, and its associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 360 medical students from February to April 2018. A self-administered, confidential and online questionnaire was used, including sociodemographic, economic data, family support, friends’ network, physical activity and academic performance, as well as Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Statistical analysis was performed using the STATA program, version 13.0. The Ethics Committee on Research with Humans approved the study, under number 2.108.290. Results: The prevalence of CMD among students was 45.6%. Risk factors were mental disorder in the family (RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01-1.54), poor sleep quality (RR 1.49, 95% CI 1.17-1.90), fear that impaired the academic result (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.01-1.77), feeling rejected by friends (RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.07-1.96), thinking about giving up the course (RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.29-2.17) and physical discomfort during the test (RR 1.63, 95% CI, 1.21-2.20). Conclusions: The overall prevalence of CMD among students was high, and the risk factors were significant. It is recommended that educational institutions and responsible government agencies be able to formulate and subsidize preventive actions and care for the mental health of medical students.

Common mental disorders among medical students: systematic review and meta-analysis of Brazilian studies

“…Thus, the synthesis was developed based on the data from 14 original studies. 8,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Regarding geographical location, the studies were conducted in ten cities (Aracajú, Blumenau, Botucatu, Jequié, Montes Claros, Ponta Grossa, Salvador, São José do Rio Preto, Vila Velha and Vitória), located in seven Brazilian states (Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Sergipe and São Paulo).…”

“…Regarding study design, twelve studies were cross-sectional [11][12][13][14][15][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] and two were longitudinal. 8,16 The samples ranged from 40 16 to 477 20 undergraduate medical students, with a higher frequency of women in nine of these studies (64.3%).…”

“…Eight studies involved students enrolled in all stages of the medicine course (57.1%) (Table 1). 13,16,[17][18][19][20]22,24 Two questionnaires for CMD assessment were identified: the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), in 12 studies (80%); 8,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][22][23][24] and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), in the other two studies. 13,21 The risk-of-bias ratings were low in the majority of the methodological domains assessed.…”

“…Despite the differences relating to the types of regression and variables used for adjustment, the results suggest that CMDs were frequently associated with dissatisfaction relating to the medicine course. 12,15,19,22,24 The factors of "desire to quit the course" 19,22,24 and "feeling uncomfortable with the course" 12,15 can be highlighted. Furthermore, risk associations between CMDs and sleep indicators 8,12,22 were also shown (Table 2).…”

“…12,15,19,22,24 The factors of "desire to quit the course" 19,22,24 and "feeling uncomfortable with the course" 12,15 can be highlighted. Furthermore, risk associations between CMDs and sleep indicators 8,12,22 were also shown (Table 2).…”