Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, 11115, Khartoum, P. O Box: 321, Sudan.
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
BMC Psychiatry. 2024 Jan 23;24(1):68. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-05510-y.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) causes significant disturbance in an individual's well-being and activity. Whereby, interfering with the dynamic progress in life. Also, anxiety is a product of stress and a major predictor of academic performance. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), measure levels of anxiety and perceived stress, evaluate the academic profile, identify lifestyle characteristics, and explore the relationship between these factors.
In this cross-sectional study, 340 Sudanese medical students filled out online questionnaires, composed of the sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, academic profile, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 scale (GAD-2), and Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 20.0 for data analysis.
Of 340 medical students, 3.8% of them were diagnosed with GAD, while 29.1% scored ≥ 3 in GAD-2, indicating a possible diagnosis. The study found that 9.7% of the participants used addictive substances, with 42% of them having high GAD-2 scores. Moreover, high anxiety levels were associated with high-stress scores (p-value = 0.000). Also, high GAD-2 scores were significantly associated with students who spent less than 10,000 SDG (18 USD) weekly, spent more time on entertainment using smart devices (p-value = 0.004), and had an unhealthy diet (p-value = 0.004). Low anxiety levels were associated with better sleep quality (p-value = 0.00), satisfaction with religious practices (p-value = 0.00), and increased leisure/hobby time (p-value = 0.018). High-stress levels were observed in females (p-value = 0.035), those with lower academic performance satisfaction levels, and increased hours of smart device usage for entertainment (p-value = 0.001). Reduced stress levels were associated with being ≥ 23 years old, increased leisure/hobby time (p-value = 0.002), satisfaction with religious practices [F(3, 166.6) = 10.8, p-value = 0.00)], and having a healthy diet (p-value = 0.006).
The low prevalence of GAD corresponded with previous literature, but 29.1% of medical students had a high probability of having GAD. The study emphasizes on providing accessible mental health services for medical students and interventions addressing modifiable risk factors.
广泛性焦虑障碍（GAD）会严重干扰个体的幸福感和活动能力。从而阻碍生活的动态发展。此外，焦虑是压力的产物，也是学业表现的主要预测因素。本研究旨在评估广泛性焦虑障碍（GAD）的患病率，测量焦虑和感知压力水平，评估学术概况，确定生活方式特征，并探讨这些因素之间的关系。
在这项横断面研究中，340 名苏丹医学生在线填写了包括社会人口统计学和生活方式特征、学术概况、广泛性焦虑障碍-2 量表（GAD-2）和感知压力量表-10（PSS-10）在内的问卷。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）第 20.0 版进行数据分析。
在 340 名医学生中，有 3.8%被诊断为 GAD，而 29.1%的学生 GAD-2 得分≥3，表明可能存在诊断。研究发现，9.7%的参与者使用成瘾物质，其中 42%的人 GAD-2 得分较高。此外，高焦虑水平与高压力评分相关（p 值=0.000）。此外，GAD-2 得分较高与每周花费少于 10000 苏姆（18 美元）、花更多时间在智能设备上娱乐（p 值=0.004）和不健康饮食（p 值=0.004）的学生显著相关。低焦虑水平与更好的睡眠质量（p 值=0.00）、对宗教活动的满意度（p 值=0.00）和增加业余爱好时间（p 值=0.018）相关。高压力水平与女性（p 值=0.035）、对学业成绩满意度较低的学生以及娱乐性智能设备使用时间增加有关（p 值=0.001）。压力水平降低与年龄≥23 岁、增加业余爱好时间（p 值=0.002）、对宗教活动的满意度增加[F（3，166.6）=10.8，p 值=0.00]以及健康饮食有关（p 值=0.006）。
GAD 的低患病率与先前的文献一致，但 29.1%的医学生有很高的 GAD 可能性。研究强调为医学生提供可获得的心理健康服务，并干预可改变的风险因素。
