Perceived Stigma Towards Psychological Illness in Relation to Psychological Distress Among Medical Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Gender differences in attitudes towards psychological help-seeking among chinese medical students: a comparative analysis

BACKGROUND

Medical students are known to be at a greater risk of psychological disorders compared to the general population. However, their rate of help-seeking behavior is low. The purpose of this study was to explore the influencing factors of attitudes towards psychological help-seeking among Chinese medical students and to examine its gender differences.

METHODS

A total of 3,453 medical students from three medical colleges in Hainan Province, China, completed anonymous questionnaires that included socio-demographic attributes, the Family APGAR Index, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20), and the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Short Form (ATSPPH-SF). Associations between predictor variables and attitudes towards help-seeking were explored using multivariate linear regression, and regression models with interaction terms were employed to test gender difference.

RESULTS

The mean score on ATSPPH-SF Scale was 15.04 ± 3.45, with males scoring significantly lower than females (14.34 vs. 15.64, P < 0.0001). For both male and female groups, psych knowledge, mental health status, family function and help-seeking utility perception significantly influenced attitudes toward psychological help-seeking. Furthermore, having more than once psycho-help experiences was positively correlated with women's attitudes. Significant interactions were found between gender and mental health status.

CONCLUSION

Attitude towards seeking psychological help was relatively negative among Chinese medical students. The implementation of interventions should take into account the at-risk population, especially the males and individuals with poor mental health.

Mental illness stigma and associated factors among Arabic-speaking refugee and migrant populations in Australia

BACKGROUND

Arabic-speaking refugee and migrant populations form a significant proportion of Australia's population. Despite high levels of psychological distress among Arabic-speaking populations, low uptake of mental health services has been demonstrated. Evidence suggests poor levels of mental health literacy (MHL) and high levels of stigmatising attitudes among Arabic-speaking populations, which may act as barriers to help-seeking behaviours. This study aimed to explore the relationships between measures of mental illness stigma, socio-demographic factors and psychological distress, as well as to determine the factors associated with MHL (i.e., correct recognition of mental illness and knowledge of causes) among Arabic-speaking refugee and migrant populations in Australia.

METHODS

Participants were recruited from non-government organisations in Greater Western Sydney that provided support services to Arabic-speaking migrants and/or refugees. As this study is nested within an interventional pilot study evaluating a culturally tailored MHL program, only the pre-intervention survey responses for 53 participants were utilised. The survey measured key aspects of MHL (i.e., recognition of mental illness, knowledge of causes), levels of psychological distress (using K10 scale), and stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness (using Personal Stigma Subscales and Social Distance Scale).

RESULTS

The Personal Stigma subscale of 'Dangerous/unpredictable' was strongly positively correlated with participants' K10 psychological distress scores and strongly negatively correlated with years of education completed. There were moderate negative correlations between two Personal Stigma subscales ('Dangerous/unpredictable' and 'I-would-not-tell-anyone') and the length of stay in Australia. Being female was associated with an increase in personal stigma demonstrated by higher scores for 'I-would-not-tell-anyone' subscale than males. Similarly, increase in age was associated with a decrease on scores of the personal stigma 'Dangerous/unpredictable'.

CONCLUSIONS

While future research with larger sample size are needed, the study findings can be considered as adding to the evidence base on mental illness related stigma in Arabic-speaking populations. Further, this study provides a starting point in developing the rationale for why population sub-group specific interventions are required to address mental illness stigma and improve MHL among Arabic-speaking refugee and migrant populations in Australia.

Depression, stress, anxiety and burnout among undergraduate and postgraduate medical trainees in Saudi Arabia over two decades: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests physicians have higher rates of mental distress than other professionals. Although multiple studies have been conducted among Saudi medical trainees to address this issue, no reviews assessed multiple psychological problems simultaneously. We aimed to examine the prevalence and trends of depression, anxiety, burnout and stress among Saudi medical trainees.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted searching PubMed/Medline, OVID, Scopus, PsychInfo, EBSCOhost and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for studies addressing depression, burnout, stress and anxiety among Saudi medical trainees, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to evaluate quality. The main findings were summarised in tables.

RESULTS

We identified 57 records from 2001 to 2020. Overall (mild, moderate or severe) depression ranged from 28% to 70.6%, while stress ranged from 30.5% to 90.7%. Burnout was primarily assessed among residents with an overall prevalence reaching 85.5%. Overall anxiety ranged from 52.7% to 67%, and was only assessed among undergraduates. Higher levels of all four mental conditions were reported among females.

CONCLUSION

This review suggests high prevalence of depression, stress, burnout and anxiety among medical trainees, with higher estimates for females compared to males.

Suicide in China: Community Attitudes and Stigma

China accounts for an estimated third of the world's suicides, yet individuals experiencing suicidality typically do not seek out or receive treatment. This study examines community perceptions and public stigma toward suicide. In Shanghai, China 186 adults were recruited to participate in a survey with an experimental vignette describing a suicidal individual, manipulated on gender and age, followed by questions eliciting attitudes toward suicide. Most participants agreed that the suicidal subject had a serious problem, with seriousness of the problem decreasing with participant's age. Participants reported moderate levels of public stigma. More stigma was found toward adolescent subjects rather than adult. Male subjects were perceived as being more likely to change than females. The public's accurate view of suicide without biases could help prevent suicide from getting worse. Public perceptions regarding a suicidal individual's likelihood to change could lead to stigma reduction, which can subsequently help with effective crisis intervention.

The comparative importance of mental and physical disorders for health-related days out of role in the general population of Saudi Arabia

Background

A major component of illness burden is role impairment. As part of the recently-completed Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS), we compare the number of days out of role in the Saudi population associated with ten core mental disorders assessed in the survey to those associated with ten commonly occurring chronic physical disorders.

Methods

The SNMHS was a household survey that assessed prevalence of ten common anxiety, mood, disruptive behavior, and eating disorders in a nationally representative sample of n = 1981 citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) ages 15–65. Comparison information was obtained on prevalence of ten common chronic physical disorders and number of health-related days out of role (DOR) in the 30 days before interview. Generalized linear models were used to examine univariate and multivariable associations of disorders with DOR and to calculate population attributable risk (PAR) separately and overall for the disorders controlling for socio-demographics.

Results

19.9% of respondents had one or more of the selected mental disorders and 47.1% had one or more of the selected physical disorders. Nine mental disorders and two physical disorders were associated with increased DOR. PAR was 32.9% for mental disorders, 27.0% for physical disorders, and 59.9% for both combined.

Conclusions

Mental disorders are associated with a substantial proportion of all health-related DOR in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Programs to detect and treat mental disorders might lead to substantially decreased role impairment in the Kingdom.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12721-z.