Wellbeing, psychiatric morbidity and psychological distress amongst medical students in Denmark.

BACKGROUND

Medical students in Denmark undertake a demanding 6-year course which is generally during a critical age for the development of psychiatric disorder and harmful substance or alcohol use behaviours. Previous literature has highlighted significant rates of distress in Danish students.

AIMS

We surveyed medical students in Denmark to better understand wellbeing, psychiatric morbidity, sources of stress, substance and alcohol use, psychological distress and burnout.

METHODS

Medical students were invited to participate in a single survey via email and social media which was completed through an online form, available for a 6-month period. The survey used a mixture of pre-defined answer options alongside free-text responses. Embedded within the survey were standardised and reliable specific instruments related to alcohol use (the CAGE questionnaire), overall psychological wellbeing and burnout.

RESULTS

There were 647 respondents, with a quite even year-group distribution, representing just over 16% of total number of students attending medical school in Denmark. Prior to medical school 35% had visited a professional regarding their mental health. While at medical school 16% reported a diagnosis of a mental health condition. 83% reported significant stress from study. Around 7 in 10 met case criteria using instruments designed to test for minor psychiatric morbidity and burnout. 13% tested CAGE positive, whilst 4% reported concerns from themselves or others about their substance use.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates high levels of psychiatric morbidity and worrying levels of burnout in this population. The striking 13% CAGE positive rate suggests this demographic is at risk of harm from alcohol. Our results suggest a high level of need to support this population - with further study required to demonstrate which interventions would be of most benefit for this population in light of our findings.