Is Mental Health Worse in Medical Students than in the General Population? A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
4. Discussion
- Bias in Participant Selection: Voluntary participation may attract individuals who are more inclined to discuss their mental health. However, this bias should be balanced between the two groups.
- Medium Sample Size: The sample size of the study was moderate, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to a broader population. A larger and more diverse sample would provide more robust and representative results.
- Cross-Sectional Design: This design does not allow for establishing causal relationships or the assessment of changes in mental health over time. Longitudinal studies are necessary to accurately understand the trajectories of mental health in medical students and workers.
- Reliance on Short Scales: While these scales provide a quick assessment, they may lack the depth and comprehensive evaluation of more extensive instruments. Additionally, relying on short scales may not adequately capture all the dimensions of mental health.
- Lack of In-Depth Assessment of Social Support or Academic Year: The study does not thoroughly explore the role of social support in influencing mental health outcomes. Social support is a critical factor in an individual’s well-being, and its absence or presence can significantly impact mental health. In the future, it would be interesting to investigate the effect of both factors.
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Total (N = 167) | Medical Students (N = 124) | Workers (N = 43) | p | ES[CI95%] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (y) M(SD) | 25.1 (5.1) | 24.2 (4.3) | 27.5 (6.2) | <0.001 | D = 0.671 [0.293; 1.040] |
Male N(%) | 62 (37.1) | 42 (33.9) | 20 (46.5) | 0.139 | OR = 0.589 [0.291; 1.190] |
Do you think you have mental disorders? (y) N(%) | 73 (43.7) | 61 (49.2) | 12 (27.9) | 0.015 | OR = 2.50 [1.18; 5.31] |
Do you have diagnosed mental disorders? (y) N(%) | 25 (15.0) | 22 (17.7) | 3 (7.0) | 0.135 | OR = 2.88 [0.815; 10.100] |
Are you being treated for mental problems? (y) N(%) | 51 (30.5) | 38 (30.6) | 13 (30.2) | 0.960 | OR = 1.02 [0.479; 217] |
Linear Regression to Predict QoL | ||||
Adaptation of Models | ||||
Model | R2 | p | ||
1 (Age) | 0.016 | 0.159 | ||
2 (Age; Biological Sex) | 0.126 | <0.001 | ||
3 (Age; Biological Sex; Psychopathology) | 0.502 | <0.001 | ||
Anova | ||||
Sum of Squares | df | F | p | |
Age | 3.39 | 1 | 0.362 | 0.549 |
Biological Sex | 39.51 | 1 | 4.221 | 0.042 |
Depression | 236.29 | 1 | 25.246 | <0.001 |
Anxiety | 82.22 | 1 | 8.784 | 0.004 |
Irritability | 4.25 | 1 | 0.454 | 0.502 |
Suicidality | 2.46 | 1 | 0.263 | 0.609 |
Model Coefficients | ||||
Predictor | Estimate | SE | T | p |
Intercept | 18.906 | 1.656 | 11.415 | <0 .001 |
Age | −0.040 | 0.066 | −0.602 | 0.549 |
Biological Sex: F-M | −1.359 | 0.662 | −2.054 | 0.042 |
Depression | −0.755 | 0.150 | −5.024 | <0 .001 |
Anxiety | −0.357 | 0.121 | −2.964 | 0.004 |
Irritability | −0.085 | 0.126 | −0.674 | 0.502 |
Suicidality | −0.033 | 0.065 | −0.513 | 0.609 |
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Stirparo, G.; Pireddu, R.; D’Angelo, M.; Bottignole, D.; Mazzoli, R.; Gambolò, L. Is Mental Health Worse in Medical Students than in the General Population? A Cross-Sectional Study. Medicina 2024, 60, 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60060863
Stirparo G, Pireddu R, D’Angelo M, Bottignole D, Mazzoli R, Gambolò L. Is Mental Health Worse in Medical Students than in the General Population? A Cross-Sectional Study. Medicina. 2024; 60(6):863. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60060863
Chicago/Turabian StyleStirparo, Giuseppe, Roberta Pireddu, Marta D’Angelo, Dario Bottignole, Riccardo Mazzoli, and Luca Gambolò. 2024. "Is Mental Health Worse in Medical Students than in the General Population? A Cross-Sectional Study" Medicina 60, no. 6: 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60060863