Abstract
BackgroundResearch on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in medical students is rather scant. Studying the disorder in this population, especially its associations with positive psychological constructs can further the understanding of mental health in future physicians. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of ADHD symptoms in medical students, to examine the relationships between ADHD symptoms and life satisfaction, and to explore the mediating role of resilience on the associations.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out at one medical university in China, in June 2016. Self-reported questionnaires consisting of Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and socio-demographic characteristics, were distributed to the students. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to examine the effects of ADHD symptoms on life satisfaction, and asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to explore the mediating role of resilience.ResultsA total number of 521 medical students became final subjects. Based on the cutoffs of the scales, 1.54% of the medical students were highly likely to have ADHD, and 6.91% of the students were likely to have ADHD. Only inattention was negatively correlated with life satisfaction in the students. Resilience functioned as a mediator in the relationship between inattention and life satisfaction.ConclusionsThe prevalence of ADHD symptoms among Chinese medical students could be relatively high. Inattention is significantly related to life satisfaction among the students. Early identification of medical students with ADHD symptoms should be warranted. Resilience intervention programs might be undertaken to enhance life satisfaction in medical students, especially for those with inattention symptoms.
Highlights
Research on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in medical students is rather scant
Resilience significantly mediated the association of inattention with life satisfaction (a*b = − 0.120, BCa Bias-corrected and accelerated 95% confidence interval (95%CI): − 0.179, − 0.067, p < 0.01). This is one of the few studies that focused on ADHD symptoms in medical students, and the first one to examine the associations of ADHD symptoms with life satisfaction in medical students, and the mediating effect of resilience on the associations
This result was consistent with the prevalence of possible ADHD (8.7%) found among African medical students [35], which might suggest that ADHD symptoms could be largely under-recognized and ignored among vulnerable and stressful medical students compared to other psychological problems
Summary
Research on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in medical students is rather scant. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of ADHD symptoms in medical students, to examine the relationships between ADHD symptoms and life satisfaction, and to explore the mediating role of resilience on the associations. Very few studies have been conducted to examine the prevalence of ADHD symptoms among medical students. Increasing attention has been paid to ADHD in adults, prior research has predominantly focused on negative effects accompanied by the disorder, whereas studies on associations between ADHD and positive outcomes, such as life satisfaction, are very limited. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have been carried out in medical students to examine the associations of ADHD symptoms with life satisfaction
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