Prevalence of Emotional Abuse Among Medical Students in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Emotional abuse is often described as a precursor to physical abuse and has a significant negative impact on individuals' well-being. This is a widespread issue, especially in the educational context. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of emotional abuse among medical students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students using a survey designed on Google Forms. The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 27. Medical students in their third and sixth years of education were included in the study, while students unwilling to participate and questionnaires with missing responses or data were excluded from the study. Additionally, students from any research team were also excluded. Results: A total of 227 medical students participated in the study, comprising 105 men and 122 women. The majority of students (87.2%) knew about emotional abuse. The prevalence of emotional abuse reported in our study population was 6.4%, with only 0.8% suffering from severe abuse. Based on Fisher's exact test results, none of the examined factors—gender, smoking status, substance use, mental health disorders, GPA, and stream— showed significant associations with emotional abuse among medical students in this study (p-value > 0.05) Conclusions: This study observed a comparatively lower prevalence of emotional abuse in our setting. However, detecting emotional abuse among medical students is essential to protecting their mental health, academic progress, professional development, and the well-being of future patients. It also aligns with the ethical standards and principles of professionalism that are central to the medical profession.