TITLE:
Mental Distress among Medical Students in Khartoum, Sudan 2022
AUTHORS:
Sara Hassan Mustafa, Elsir Abdelmutaal Mohammed, Salma Taha Makkawi, Yassin Youssif Mohammed
KEYWORDS:
Mental Distress, University Students, Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ), Sudan
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.12 No.4,
October
26,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: Young adults in Sudan face numerous challenges that
make it difficult for them to maintain their mental health. Due to the academic
workload and performance expectations, medical students suffer from a high prevalence of mental distress. Objectives: to estimate the prevalence of mental distress among medical students and
determine the associated factors. Methods: a cross-sectional survey was
conducted among medical students in Khartoum, Sudan, using an electronic questionnaire. Mental distress
was screened in the period from June 19 to July 30, 2022, using the
self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20). Descriptive statistics in the form of
frequencies and percentages were used to display data. Odds ratios (ORs) with a
95% confidence interval were estimated using univariate and multivariate
logistic regression analysis to determine associations between mental distress
and related factors. Results: A total of 432 valid responses were
received with a mean age of 20.37. The Overall prevalence of mental distress
(SRQ-20 > 8) in medical students was 241 (55.8%). The prevalence was
significantly associated with gender (P-Value > 0.001), type of university (P-Value = 0.001), academic level of education (P-Value = 0.026), and family history of mental illness (P-value = 0.001). Conclusion: More than half of the medical students who were
screened for mental distress had mental distress. Higher odds are associated
with being a female student, attending a private university, studying at a
higher academic level, and having a family history of mental illness. This
study recommends a review of the academic processes and implementing
institutional preventive strategies that target at-risk groups.