Anxiety Symptoms In Medical Students Research Articles

ALARMING PREVALENCE OF POOR SLEEP AND ANXIETY IN MEDICAL STUDENTS

Objective: Anxiety and sleep disorders have been reported to be common in medical students. This study aimed to determine the frequency of poor sleep quality and anxiety symptoms in medical students. Moreover, to reveal the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle data, perceptions of professional future, academic performance with anxiety, and sleep quality. Material and Methods: A total of 225 participants enrolled in the first through fifth years of education in Kafkas University’s Faculty of Medicine in the 2022-23 academic year participated in the study. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire encompassed sociodemographic data, lifestyle information that may affect sleep, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Statistical analyses were performed with R Statistical Software (v4.2.2; R Core Team 2022). Results: It was found that 76% of the participants had poor sleep quality according to the PSQI, while 31.56% of the participants had GAD-7 scores of 10 or above. There was a relationship between the poor sleep quality and anxiety of the participants (p

Network analysis of depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with mobile phone addiction among Chinese medical students during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Network analysis provides a novel approach to discovering associations between mental disorders at the symptom level. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of the network of depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with mobile phone addiction (MPA) among Chinese medical students during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 553 medical students were included. Depression and anxiety symptoms and MPA were measured by the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI), respectively. Central and bridge symptoms were identified with centrality indices and bridge centrality indices. Network stability was examined using the case-dropping procedure. “Uncontrollable worry”, “restlessness” and “nervousness” were the central symptoms in the depression and anxiety network. “Restlessness” and “motor” were the most central bridge symptoms linking depression and anxiety. “Concentration”, “anhedonia” and “sleep” were most strongly associated with MPA. “Uncontrollable worry”, “restlessness”, “nervousness,” and “motor” may be the symptoms for interventions to target in medical students with comorbid depression and anxiety. From a network perspective, depressive symptoms may be more important than anxiety symptoms in medical students with MPA.

Psychological symptoms and related risk factors among healthcare workers and medical students during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the mental health status of healthcare workers and medical students during the early phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsAn online questionnaire was administered to 637 students and 3189 healthcare workers from May to July, 2020. The patient healthcare questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) and state anxiety (A‐State) of the state–trait anxiety inventory‐form (STAI) were used to assess depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Individuals were categorized into severe (15 or higher) depression and severe (50–51 or higher) anxiety groups.ResultsHealthcare workers and those taking care of COVID‐19 patients had a higher risk of severe depression (PHQ‐9 scores >15) than other comparison groups. Students and men also had a higher risk of severe anxiety (STAI > 50–51). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that healthcare workers had a fivefold higher risk of developing severe depression symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 4.99, confidence interval [CI] 2.24–5.97, P‐value < 0.001) and those taking care of COVID‐19 patients had 2.8‐fold higher risk of developing severe depression symptoms (OR 2.75, CI 1.36–5.53, P‐value = 0.005).ConclusionBoth medical students and healthcare workers have been experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms during the first wave of the pandemic. Our findings showed a high rate of severe anxiety symptoms in medical students and a high rate of severe depression symptoms in healthcare workers. Those who treated COVID‐19 patients were at greater risk of developing major depressive disorder than those who treated non‐COVID‐19 patients.

Compulsive internet use scale performs better than problematic internet use questionnaire at predicting depressive and anxiety symptoms in medical students

Compulsive internet use scale performs better than problematic internet use questionnaire at predicting depressive and anxiety symptoms in medical students

Latent class analysis of depression and anxiety among medical students during COVID-19 epidemic

ObjectiveThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health emergency that has caused worldwide concern. The mental health of medical students under the COVID-19 epidemic has attracted much attention. This study aims to identify subgroups of medical students based on depression and anxiety and explore the influencing factors during the COVID-19 epidemic in China.MethodsA total of 29,663 medical students were recruited during the epidemic of COVID-19 in China. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7) respectively. Latent class analysis was performed based on depression and anxiety symptoms in medical students. The latent class subtypes were compared using the chi-square test. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associations between identified classes and related factors.ResultsIn this study, three distinct subgroups were identified, namely, the poor mental health group, the mild mental health group and the low symptoms group. The number of medical students in each class is 4325, 9321 and 16,017 respectively. The multinomial logistic regression results showed that compared with the low symptoms group, the factors influencing depression and anxiety in the poor mental health group and mild mental health group were sex, educational level, drinking, individual psychiatric disorders, family psychiatric disorders, knowledge of COVID-19, fear of being infected, and participate in mental health education on COVID-19.ConclusionsOur findings suggested that latent class analysis can be used to categorize different medical students according to their depression and anxiety symptoms during the outbreak of COVID-19. The main factors influencing the poor mental health group and the mild mental health group are basic demographic characteristics, disease history, COVID-19 related factors and behavioural lifestyle. School administrative departments can carry out targeted psychological counseling according to different subgroups to promote the physical and mental health of medical students.

Prevalence of Anxiety Symptoms in Medical Students in Inner State of São Paulo, Southeast Brazil

Background: Anxiety is a global health concern among medical students. It is associated with difficulty concentrating, insomnia, and a damaged lifestyle. Objectives: To describe anxiety symptoms and to assess the prevalence of anxiety in medical students. Design and Setting: It was conducted a cross-sectional study in a sample of 120 first- to fourth-year medical students in the inner state of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: An anxiety symptoms formulary was applied to the medical students. There were estimated the prevalence of anxiety and the prevalence ratios according to the variables age, gender, course year, sleep, physical activity, and use of anti-anxiety medication.

Prevalence of study related anxiety among medical students: a study from a medical college in central Nepal

Introduction: Medical education can lead to anxiety and depression in medical students which may have negative academic and professional consequences on them. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of study related anxiety, its severity and frequency of different symptoms related to anxiety among medical students.&#x0D; Results: Study-related anxiety was found in 73.33% of students. Anxiety was more common amongst final year medical students (83.33%) followed by 1st/2nd year students (76.67%). Prevalence of anxiety was found to be less among 4th-year medical students (63.33%). The majority of the students experienced a mild to moderate level of anxiety. i.e.44.31 % and 36.37 % respectively. The most common symptoms of study related anxiety were recurrent fearful thoughts about studies, constant tension about studies and panic feeling about exam in varying degree of severity.&#x0D; Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of study related anxiety among medical students in the current study. Early identification and timely intervention of study related anxiety symptoms in medical students will prevent mental distress and negative effect on their academic pursuits.&#x0D;

Prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in medical students in the city of Santos

ABSTRACT Objective Ascertain the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in medical students, considering data in the literature that indicate higher vulnerability to emotional disorders in this population. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample of 657 (98%) students. The instruments used were: questionnaire of socioeconomic-demographic characteristics, Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results Predominance of the female gender (61%), aged between 17 and 30 years (98%), Catholic religion (64.2%) from the city of São Paulo (40.7%) and other cities in the state (35.7%); 30% presented depressive symptoms and 21% anxiety symptoms. Female students had higher scores both for depression (34.8%) and for anxiety (26.8%). As regards the course year, the highest rates were found in the 5th year (40.7%) for depression and in the 2nd year for anxiety (28.8%). Conclusion The data obtained in this study (30%) agreed with the literature regarding the prevalence of depressive symptoms in medical students, but this index was higher compared to the population in general (15.1% to 16.8%), and related to people in São Paulo city (18.5%). Concerning anxiety the rates found were slightly lower than those in specific literature but higher than those in literature for the population in general (8% to 18%) and in city São Paulo (16.8%). These indices indicate that the school of medicine may play a role as a predisposing and/or triggering factor in some students. The results suggest that more attention should be directed to 5th year students, who are beginning the internship period.

Depression in Medical Students: Gene-Environment Interactions

This study investigated the interaction of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors in predicting depression and anxiety symptoms in medical students. First-year medical students (n = 141) completed measures of anxiety, depression, hope, and spiritual meaning at three time points during the first year. Buccal samples were utilized to genotype each individual at the s/l variant in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR). A subset (n = 91) completed a measure of recent stressors. Mean levels of depression increased during year one of medical school. Presence of the s/s genotype in the promoter region of the 5-HTT gene was associated with greater increases in depression, but only in association with higher numbers of recent stressors. Spiritual meaning and hope were found to counteract genetic susceptibility to stress-related depressive symptoms in the more vulnerable s/s group.

Anxiety symptoms and perceived performance in medical students

Medical students represent a highly educated population under significant pressures. During the transition to clinical settings in the third year, they may experience a loss of external control and may counter this with an increase in obsessionality and/or other anxiety symptoms. Our study examines the phenomenology of obsessive-compulsive and other anxiety symptoms in medical students at two U.S. medical schools and relates these symptoms to self-perception of performance. Subjects anonymously completed a battery of questionnaires regarding obsessive-compulsive symptoms, attentional problems, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and perceived performance in medical school. A factor analysis of obsessional symptoms showed four primary factors: checking/doubts, contamination, long time/detail, and unpleasant thoughts/worries. These four factors were similar to those found among college students and other nonclinical populations. Anxiety, attentional, and depressive symptoms were highest in the third-year medical students. In contrast, obsessional symptoms were highest in the first-year students and lower for subsequent years. Perceived performance was not significantly correlated with obsessionality, although lower perceived performance was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Students with lower perceived performance in medical school were significantly more likely to be female, depressed, or older. The progressive decrease in number of obsessional symptoms across years and the lack of correlation with perceived performance suggest that these symptoms may be developmentally appropriate, and perhaps adaptive. In contrast, other anxiety symptoms appear to be maladaptive responses to external stressors.