Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Pre-Clinical Medical Students: Prevalence and Association with Sleep Disorders

Fahad Abdulaziz Alrashed (), Abdulrahman M. Alsubiheen, Hessah Alshammari, Sarah Ismail Mazi, Sara Abou Al-Saud, Samha Alayoubi, Shaji John Kachanathu, Ali Albarrati, Mishal M. Aldaihan, Tauseef Ahmad, Kamran Sattar, Shakir Khan and Gaurav Dhiman
Additional contact information
Fahad Abdulaziz Alrashed: Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman M. Alsubiheen: Rehabilitation Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University (KSU), P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Hessah Alshammari: Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia
Sarah Ismail Mazi: Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia
Sara Abou Al-Saud: Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia
Samha Alayoubi: Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia
Shaji John Kachanathu: College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Ali Albarrati: Rehabilitation Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University (KSU), P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Mishal M. Aldaihan: Rehabilitation Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University (KSU), P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Tauseef Ahmad: College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia
Kamran Sattar: College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O. Box 7805, Riyadh 11472, Saudi Arabia
Shakir Khan: College of Computer and Information Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), P.O. Box 5701, Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia
Gaurav Dhiman: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Lebanese American University, P.O. Box 13-5053, Beirut 1102 2801, Lebanon

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-18

Abstract: Our aim was to assess sleep quality in different subgroups of preclinical medical students, and then to identify specific lifestyle factors, academic and social factors as well as Corona virus related factors that were associated with poor sleeping quality and poor psychological health. Study participants were all medical students at King Saud University of Medical Sciences in the first and second years (648 students), and the study was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022. We administered the survey on paper as well as online. We used three types of questionnaires in this study. The first was a self-administered questionnaire, the second was a validated Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) for finding sleeping problems, and the third was a validated DASS 10 for determining Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. A total of 361 pre-clinical medical students consisted of 146 (40.4%) males and 215 (59.5%) females. The majority of the students, 246 (68.1%), were in their second year. Furthermore, in the current study, students who had poor academic performance (15.8%), satisfactory academic performance (21.3%), or good academic performance (30.7%) had significant sleeping problems found (χ 2 = 19.4; p = 0.001), among them poor academic performance students 21.6%, satisfactory academic performance students (29.3%), and good academic performance students (29.3%) had moderate to severe levelled sleeping problems. Similarly, poor, satisfactory, and good academic performers experienced the highest levels of anxiety (poor = 21.5%; satisfactory = 22.1%; and good = 22.8%); stress (poor = 22.4%; satisfactory = 25.2%; and good = 22.4%); and depression (poor = 40.5%; satisfactory = 40.5%; and good = 11.9%). The majority of students (64.8%) reported that during the pandemic crisis their anxiety levels were high. Additionally, students reported significantly high sleeping issues (χ 2 = 10.6; p = 0.001) and also serious psychological issues (Anxiety = 34.9 (0.000); Stress = 32.5 (0.000); and Depression = 5.42 (0.01)). There was a high prevalence of sleep issues, anxiety, stress, and depression among the pre-clinical medical students, with significantly higher sleeping disorders, anxiety, stress, and depression levels among those medical students who struggle with their academic performances, poor lifestyle factor, and poor Social and COVID management.

Keywords: medical students; stress and anxiety; research methods; school environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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