Being well – A proactive mental wellness intervention for undergraduate medical students

Abstract

Introduction: Medical students are more prone to mental health disorders than their peers in other courses. Evidence indicates that positive wellness practices improve medical students’ and physicians’ mental well-being. However, proactive, as opposed to reactive mental health programs are currently operational in very few medical schools. In our study, we aimed to find whether an emotional well-being program for undergraduate medical students would have a positive impact on their ability to handle the vicissitudes of student life. Materials and Methods: On entry to the course, after obtaining institution ethics committee approval and informed consent for all students, students were screened with 2 questionnaires – the Self Reporting Questionnaire 20 (SRQ 20) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21). All students attended a workshop facilitated by mental health professionals on emotional regulation, self-awareness, and stress management. Following this, students who received higher than normal scores on screening received targeted individual attention. All students were given the opportunity to meet the mental health professionals over the coming year. One year after the workshop, the students were readministered the questionnaires. Preintervention and postintervention scores were compared and analyzed. Results: One hundred and seven students attended the workshop. There was no difference in preintervention scores depending on gender, state of domicile, and whether the student was residential scholars or commuters. Depression, anxiety, and stress as measured by the DASS 21 and SRQ 20 were significantly lower postintervention. Conclusions: A proactive emotional well-being program has measurable effects on mental health in undergraduate medical students. Core competency addressed: medical education, emotional well-being of students.