Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide Study
Medical students are a population that is vulnerable to the development of anxiety, depression, and burnout. This observational cross-sectional study sought to assess the levels of distress and identify precipitating factors in all students enrolled in a Portuguese medical school during the academic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/14/1991 |
| _version_ | 1797589093616451584 |
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| author | Vânia D’Alva-Teixeira Maria Picó-Pérez Pedro Morgado |
| author_facet | Vânia D’Alva-Teixeira Maria Picó-Pérez Pedro Morgado |
| author_sort | Vânia D’Alva-Teixeira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Medical students are a population that is vulnerable to the development of anxiety, depression, and burnout. This observational cross-sectional study sought to assess the levels of distress and identify precipitating factors in all students enrolled in a Portuguese medical school during the academic year of 2022/23. Students (n = 768) were surveyed via validated instruments to measure anxiety, depression, and burnout. Sociodemographic information was also collected through a questionnaire. The study indicated that almost half of this population had depressive symptoms. No differences were found in distress levels between medical schools, and when comparing curricular years, higher levels of distress were found in the pre-clinical years in comparison to the clinical ones. Burnout, being a woman, the existence of physical health problems, homo- and bisexual orientations, affective family problems, problems with relationships in the academic community, difficulties in academic performance, and daily organization were identified as predictors of distress. On the other hand, satisfaction with the social support received and with academic ratings were identified as protective factors. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of distress in medical students, which is associated with personal, physical, social, economic, and academic factors. The identification of predictive factors of distress may allow for the early identification of vulnerable students and for intervention and prevention strategies to be defined. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:01:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-387ee95d3da54737b7d8461ed8b6bd20 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:01:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-387ee95d3da54737b7d8461ed8b6bd202023-11-18T19:32:22ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322023-07-011114199110.3390/healthcare11141991Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide StudyVânia D’Alva-Teixeira0Maria Picó-Pérez1Pedro Morgado2Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, PortugalLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, PortugalLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, PortugalMedical students are a population that is vulnerable to the development of anxiety, depression, and burnout. This observational cross-sectional study sought to assess the levels of distress and identify precipitating factors in all students enrolled in a Portuguese medical school during the academic year of 2022/23. Students (n = 768) were surveyed via validated instruments to measure anxiety, depression, and burnout. Sociodemographic information was also collected through a questionnaire. The study indicated that almost half of this population had depressive symptoms. No differences were found in distress levels between medical schools, and when comparing curricular years, higher levels of distress were found in the pre-clinical years in comparison to the clinical ones. Burnout, being a woman, the existence of physical health problems, homo- and bisexual orientations, affective family problems, problems with relationships in the academic community, difficulties in academic performance, and daily organization were identified as predictors of distress. On the other hand, satisfaction with the social support received and with academic ratings were identified as protective factors. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of distress in medical students, which is associated with personal, physical, social, economic, and academic factors. The identification of predictive factors of distress may allow for the early identification of vulnerable students and for intervention and prevention strategies to be defined.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/14/1991distressanxietydepressionburnoutmedical studentmedical school |
| spellingShingle | Vânia D’Alva-Teixeira Maria Picó-Pérez Pedro Morgado Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide Study Healthcare distress anxiety depression burnout medical student medical school |
| title | Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide Study |
| title_full | Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide Study |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide Study |
| title_short | Determinants of Poor Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal—A Nationwide Study |
| title_sort | determinants of poor mental health of medical students in portugal a nationwide study |
| topic | distress anxiety depression burnout medical student medical school |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/14/1991 |
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