Psychological distress among medical students in conflicts: a cross-sectional study from Syria

Abstract

BackgroundMedical education can be a time of great psychological distress for students. The ongoing Syrian conflict represents an additional factor potentially contributing to poor mental health among medical students. Studies revealed high levels of psychological distress among Syrians. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of depression, anxiety and stress among medical students at Damascus University during this period of war.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) in addition to questions about demographic and financial characteristics, and questions about the effects of the ongoing war on the participants’ lives.Results350 students were included. Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was 60.6%, 35.1%, and 52.6%, respectively. Depression was more likely in females and those with “intermediate” or “insufficient” personal income. Anxiety was more likely in females and those with “insufficient” personal income while less likely in fifth- and sixth-year compared to second-year students. Stress was lower in fifth-year compared to second-year students and higher in “insufficient” personal income compared to “sufficient” personal income.ConclusionsWe concluded that Syrian medical students suffer from high rates of psychological distress. Females, second-year students, and those with “insufficient” personal income were the most affected. Students’ perception of their own financial status, rather than the financial status per se was related to psychological distress. There was no evidence of a direct relationship between the ongoing conflict and psychological distress. Further investigations of causes and consequences of poor mental health in Syrian medical students are essential.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-017-1012-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mental disorder and PTSD in Syria during wartime: a nationwide crisis

“…Moreover, war has affected university students (49), and prevented research from being properly conducted due to a shortage of resources (50). Many studies suffered from a lack of funding which ultimately generated limited data.…”

Factores Asociados a Trastornos Psicológicos en Estudiantes De Medicina

“…El estudios señalan que el sexo femenino condiciona a la presencia de depresión en el estudiante de medicina humana 8,9,13,14,16 . Un estudio iraní señaló que en su estudio existen síntomas depresivos en 11,24% en varones y 11,85% en mujeres, notándose un mayor porcentaje en las estudiantes de medicina humana con respecto a la depresión 11 .…”

“…Por otra parte estudios peruano y brasileño señalaron que existe predominancia del sexo femenino con respecto a la presencia de ansiedad en estudiantes de medicina humana 6,14 .…”

“…Estos datos coinciden con el reporte dado por el estudio "Psychological distress among medical students in conflict: a cross -sectional study from Syria", donde se señala que quinto y sexto año de estudio se relaciona con menor ansiedad 14 .…”

O estresse em universitários de enfermagem e sua relação com fatores pessoais e ambientais

“…Na literatura nacional, a percepção de estresse varia de 31,03% a 73,9% entre os universitários de enfermagem (FEITOSA et al, 2011;FUREGATO, 2013). Estudos internacionais com universitários em geral mostram que a percepção de estresse varia de 48% a 70,6% (AL-DAGHRI et al, 2014;AL SAADI et al, 2017;RACIC et al, 2017). Em diferentes estudos nacionais com populações distintas esse número varia de 23,3% a 50,75% (SILVA; KELLER; COELHO, 2013;SIMONETTI et al, 2013;TRENTINO.…”