Academic and non-academic life stressors and their impact on psychological wellbeing of medical students

Ahmad A Mirza; Hammam Baarimah; Mukhtiar Baig; Abdulrahim A Mirza; Mohammed A Halawani; Ghada M Beyari; Khalid S AlRaddadi; Mahmoud Alreefi; Ahmad A Mirza; Hammam Baarimah; Mukhtiar Baig; Abdulrahim A Mirza; Mohammed A Halawani; Ghada M Beyari; Khalid S AlRaddadi; Mahmoud Alreefi

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2021046

AIMS Public Health

2021, Volume 8, Issue 4: 563-580. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2021046

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Research article

Academic and non-academic life stressors and their impact on psychological wellbeing of medical students

Running title: Life stressors among medical students

1.
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine in Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2.
Psychiatrist, Makkah Healthcare Cluster, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia
3.
Department of Clinical Biochemistry/Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
4.
Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
5.
Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
6.
Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
7.
Department of Primary Health Care, National Guard Health Affairs, King Saud bin AbdulAziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
8.
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine in Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Received: 04 April 2021 Accepted: 14 July 2021 Published: 10 August 2021

Objectives
Among medical students, depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) are key public wellbeing challenges that require epidemiological research. We aimed to evaluate potential sources of these psychological disturbances and assess the contribution of academic and non-academic life stressors in psychological morbidity among medical students.

Methods
This exploratory questionnaire-based survey was conducted in a Saudi Arabian public sector medical college. A total of 231 medical students were enrolled and completed the depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire.

Results
More than half of the medical students, 129 (55.8%), had depression, 106 (45.9%) students had anxiety, and 87 (37.7%) students had stress. Academic achievement was the largest explanatory factor for depression and stress, whereas bodily appearance constituted the largest explanatory factor of anxiety among the study sample. Academic and non-academic stressors score was significantly associated with depression (adjusted Odds Ratio, aOR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.07–1.19), anxiety (aOR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.03–1.12), and stress (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.08–1.17).

Conclusions
Medical students have a high incidence of negative emotional states. These negative psychological states were explained by academic achievement and bodily appearance. The studied stressors influenced medical students' psychological wellbeing.
- anxiety,
- depression,
- psychological stressors,
- public health,
- students
Citation: Ahmad A Mirza, Hammam Baarimah, Mukhtiar Baig, Abdulrahim A Mirza, Mohammed A Halawani, Ghada M Beyari, Khalid S AlRaddadi, Mahmoud Alreefi. Academic and non-academic life stressors and their impact on psychological wellbeing of medical students[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2021, 8(4): 563-580. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2021046

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Abstract

Objectives

Among medical students, depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) are key public wellbeing challenges that require epidemiological research. We aimed to evaluate potential sources of these psychological disturbances and assess the contribution of academic and non-academic life stressors in psychological morbidity among medical students.

Methods

This exploratory questionnaire-based survey was conducted in a Saudi Arabian public sector medical college. A total of 231 medical students were enrolled and completed the depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire.

Results

More than half of the medical students, 129 (55.8%), had depression, 106 (45.9%) students had anxiety, and 87 (37.7%) students had stress. Academic achievement was the largest explanatory factor for depression and stress, whereas bodily appearance constituted the largest explanatory factor of anxiety among the study sample. Academic and non-academic stressors score was significantly associated with depression (adjusted Odds Ratio, aOR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.07–1.19), anxiety (aOR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.03–1.12), and stress (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.08–1.17).

Conclusions

Medical students have a high incidence of negative emotional states. These negative psychological states were explained by academic achievement and bodily appearance. The studied stressors influenced medical students' psychological wellbeing.

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely acknowledge Prof. Waleed A. Milaat and Prof. Iman K. Ramadan, professors at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for their invaluable guidance. The authors truly would like to thank Prof. Essam Eldin M. Nour Eldin for helping the team in fulfilling the requirements of ethical approval. All authors substantially contributed to this work, and all have read and approved the final version for publication.

Ethical approval

The authors commenced the study after ethical approval was obtained from the research ethical committee of Umm Al-Qura university - Faculty of medicine (Approval No. HAPO-02-K-012-2018-12-290, Date: 21/12/2018). Verbal consent was obtained from each participant, providing that student has the right to withdraw from the study at any point in time.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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