Chiddaycha Mayteewat, Wainipitapong Sorawit
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society Bangkok Thailand.
Health Sci Rep. 2021 Oct 9;4(4):e416. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.416. eCollection 2021 Dec.
Mental illness among medical students is common. Identifying at-risk students can be beneficial in terms of prevention and treatment. This study examined the association between preadmission mental health evaluation and mental health service utilization among Thai medical students.
The authors collected data from all first- to sixth-year students at one university hospital and three affiliated hospitals during the 2014 to 2019 academic year (n = 1642). Preadmission mental health was evaluated using the Thai Mental Health Indicators 66 (TMHI-66) questionnaire. Data from mental health service utilization included the dates of service and the clinical diagnosis. Data were analyzed using Cox regression, adjusted for sex, hometown, and affiliated hospital.
The prevalence of poor mental health was found to be 3.7% based on TMHI-66 results. The proportion of all students who sought mental health services was 8.3%, and they were mostly diagnosed with depressive disorder (3%), adjustment disorder (1.9%), and anxiety disorder (1.9%). Students with positive TMHI-66 results were more likely to seek out services at the faculty counseling center for one or more mental health problems (Hazard ratio [HR] = 2.11, 95% CI 1.11-4.04, = .024).
Preadmission mental health was found to be associated with mental health service utilization. Depressive disorder was the most frequent mental illness among Thai medical students utilizing the faculty counseling services. Still, the number was far lower than the reported prevalence of mental disorders due to various reasons. Further studies are needed to investigate risk and protective factors for mental disorders to better promote mental health and encourage mental health service utilization in targeted students throughout medical education.
医学生中的精神疾病很常见。识别有风险的学生在预防和治疗方面可能有益。本研究探讨了泰国医学生入学前心理健康评估与心理健康服务利用之间的关联。
作者收集了一所大学医院和三所附属医院在2014至2019学年所有一至六年级学生的数据（n = 1642）。使用泰国心理健康指标66（TMHI - 66）问卷评估入学前心理健康状况。心理健康服务利用的数据包括服务日期和临床诊断。数据采用Cox回归分析，并对性别、家乡和附属医院进行了调整。
根据TMHI - 66结果，心理健康状况不佳的患病率为3.7%。寻求心理健康服务的所有学生比例为8.3%，他们大多被诊断为抑郁症（3%）、适应障碍（1.9%）和焦虑症（1.9%）。TMHI - 66结果呈阳性的学生更有可能因一个或多个心理健康问题在教师咨询中心寻求服务（风险比[HR] = 2.11，95%可信区间1.11 - 4.04，P = 0.024）。
发现入学前心理健康与心理健康服务利用有关。抑郁症是使用教师咨询服务的泰国医学生中最常见的精神疾病。然而，由于各种原因，这一数字远低于报告的精神障碍患病率。需要进一步研究调查精神障碍的风险和保护因素，以更好地促进心理健康，并鼓励在整个医学教育过程中有针对性地让学生利用心理健康服务。
