Mahroon Zaid A, Borgan Saif M, Kamel Charlotte, Maddison Wendy, Royston Maeve, Donnellan Claire
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain, Muharraq, Kingdom of Bahrain.
Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Acad Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;42(1):31-40. doi: 10.1007/s40596-017-0733-1. Epub 2017 Jun 29.
Medical training can be a stressful experience and may negatively impact mental health for some students. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among medical students in one international medical university in the Kingdom of Bahrain and to determine associations between these symptoms, the students' characteristics, and their satisfaction with life.
This is a cross sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire, distributed to 350 enrolled medical students. We used Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI) instruments to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms. The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) was used to measure global cognitive judgments of one's life satisfaction. Sociodemographic details including social background and academic information were also documented.
Forty percent (n = 124) of the participants had depressive symptoms, of which 18.9% (n = 58) met the criteria for mild, 13% (n = 40) for moderate, and 8.5% (n = 26) for severe depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were associated with Arab ethnicity (χ = 5.66, p = .017), female gender (χ = 3.97, p = .046), relationship with peers (p < .001), year of study (χ = 13.68, p = .008), and academic performance (p < 0.001). Anxiety symptoms were present in 51% (n = 158) of students. Anxiety symptoms were associated with female gender (χ = 11.35, p < 0.001), year of study (χ = 10.28, p = .036), and academic performance (χ = 14.97, p = .002).
The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among medical students was high. Medical universities in the Middle East may need to allocate more resources into monitoring and early detection of medical student distress. Medical education providers are encouraged to provide adequate pastoral and psychological support for medical students, including culturally appropriate self-care programs within the curriculum.
医学培训可能是一段压力巨大的经历，对一些学生的心理健康可能产生负面影响。本研究的目的是确定巴林王国一所国际医科大学医学生中抑郁和焦虑症状的患病率，并确定这些症状、学生特征及其生活满意度之间的关联。
这是一项横断面研究，采用自行填写的问卷，分发给350名注册医学生。我们使用贝克抑郁量表（BDI-II）和贝克焦虑量表（BAI）工具来评估抑郁和焦虑症状。生活满意度量表（SWLS）用于衡量对一个人生活满意度的总体认知判断。还记录了包括社会背景和学术信息在内的社会人口学详细信息。
40%（n = 124）的参与者有抑郁症状，其中18.9%（n = 58）符合轻度抑郁症状标准，13%（n = 40）符合中度标准，8.5%（n = 26）符合重度抑郁症状标准。抑郁症状与阿拉伯族裔（χ = 5.66，p = 0.017）、女性性别（χ = 3.97，p = 0.046）、与同伴的关系（p < 0.001）、学习年份（χ = 13.68，p = 0.008）和学业成绩（p < 0.001）相关。51%（n = 158）的学生有焦虑症状。焦虑症状与女性性别（χ = 11.35，p < 0.001）、学习年份（χ = 10.28，p = 0.036）和学业成绩（χ = 14.97，p = 0.002）相关。
医学生中抑郁和焦虑症状的患病率较高。中东地区的医科大学可能需要投入更多资源来监测和早期发现医学生的困扰。鼓励医学教育提供者为医学生提供充分的精神和心理支持，包括在课程中纳入适合文化背景的自我护理项目。
