Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey
BackgroundThe mental health of university students, especially medical students, is of growing concern in the UK.AimTo estimate the prevalence of mental disorder in health sciences students and investigate help-seeking behaviour.MethodAn online survey from one English university (n = 1139; 53% respo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2018-11-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472418000613/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811157067387371520 |
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| author | Duleeka Knipe Chloe Maughan John Gilbert David Dymock Paul Moran David Gunnell |
| author_facet | Duleeka Knipe Chloe Maughan John Gilbert David Dymock Paul Moran David Gunnell |
| author_sort | Duleeka Knipe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThe mental health of university students, especially medical students, is of growing concern in the UK.AimTo estimate the prevalence of mental disorder in health sciences students and investigate help-seeking behaviour.MethodAn online survey from one English university (n = 1139; 53% response rate) collected data on depression (using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire), anxiety (seven-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment), alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), self-harm and well-being, as well as help seeking.ResultsA quarter of the students reported symptoms of moderate/severe depression and 27% reported symptoms of moderate/severe anxiety. Only 21% of students with symptoms of severe depression had sought professional help; the main reason for not seeking help was fear of documentation on academic records.ConclusionsThe study highlights the extent of mental health problems faced by health science students. Barriers to help seeking due to concerns about fitness-to-practise procedures urgently need to be addressed to ensure that this population of students can access help in a timely fashion.Declaration of interestNone. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c550606238e404a9a4c019bb1c446b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:57Z |
| publishDate | 2018-11-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c550606238e404a9a4c019bb1c446b52023-03-09T12:28:47ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242018-11-01444144610.1192/bjo.2018.61Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online surveyDuleeka Knipe0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1040-7635Chloe Maughan1John Gilbert2David Dymock3Paul Moran4David Gunnell5Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, UKStrategic Projects Manager, Students’ Union, University of Bristol, UKMedical Student, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, UKProfessor of Dental Education, Bristol Dental School, University of Bristol, UKProfessor of Psychiatry, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol and National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol, National Health Science Foundation Trust and University of Bristol, UKProfessor of Epidemiology, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol and National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol, National Health Science Foundation Trust and University of Bristol, UKBackgroundThe mental health of university students, especially medical students, is of growing concern in the UK.AimTo estimate the prevalence of mental disorder in health sciences students and investigate help-seeking behaviour.MethodAn online survey from one English university (n = 1139; 53% response rate) collected data on depression (using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire), anxiety (seven-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment), alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), self-harm and well-being, as well as help seeking.ResultsA quarter of the students reported symptoms of moderate/severe depression and 27% reported symptoms of moderate/severe anxiety. Only 21% of students with symptoms of severe depression had sought professional help; the main reason for not seeking help was fear of documentation on academic records.ConclusionsThe study highlights the extent of mental health problems faced by health science students. Barriers to help seeking due to concerns about fitness-to-practise procedures urgently need to be addressed to ensure that this population of students can access help in a timely fashion.Declaration of interestNone.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472418000613/type/journal_articleAnxiety disordersalcohol disordersself-harmdepressive disordersstudent |
| spellingShingle | Duleeka Knipe Chloe Maughan John Gilbert David Dymock Paul Moran David Gunnell Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey BJPsych Open Anxiety disorders alcohol disorders self-harm depressive disorders student |
| title | Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey |
| title_full | Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey |
| title_fullStr | Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey |
| title_short | Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey |
| title_sort | mental health in medical dentistry and veterinary students cross sectional online survey |
| topic | Anxiety disorders alcohol disorders self-harm depressive disorders student |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472418000613/type/journal_article |
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