Prevalence of stress, stressors, and coping strategies among medical undergraduate students in a medical college of Mumbai

Effectiveness of stress management interventions for nursing students: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Elevated stress levels are related to diminished mental health, potentially leading to decreased well-being and performance of nursing students. While researchers have focused on developing stress management interventions, there is a need to synthesize the evidence. A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of stress management interventions in nursing students. A systematic literature search identified controlled stress management interventions employing a validated psychological or physiological stress measure. Forty-one studies were included, with 36 forming a pool of 2715 participants in the meta-analysis. The overall effect on psychological stress was positive. Intervention type, delivery modality, intervention duration in weeks, and number of sessions were moderators of intervention effectiveness, with more significant effects for mind-body programs, on-site delivery methods, durations of 9-12 weeks, and 15-30 sessions. For physiological stress, the biomarkers of blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels decreased significantly. Future research is necessary for promising outcomes related to currently underrepresented indicators and to investigate the long-term effects of interventions.

Differences between Health and Non-Health Science Students in Lifestyle Habits, Perceived Stress and Psychological Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study was to investigate lifestyle habits in health and non-health science students from the University of Split, Croatia, and to evaluate their association with perceived stress and psychological well-being. We surveyed 783 students during February-March 2021. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used in the analysis. Health science students spent less time using screens, were sitting less, slept less, but also showed better compliance with the Mediterranean diet compared to non-health science students (10.6% vs. 5.9%). There were no differences in stress and well-being perception between the two study groups. Female gender, lack of sleep, less daily sitting time, anxiety, and lower optimism were associated with higher stress in non-health science students, while anxiousness and more sitting were found to be significant among health students. Well-being among health science students was positively associated with BMI, having had COVID-19, being refreshed after waking up during working days, Mediterranean diet adherence, health perception, optimism, and quality of life, and negatively with TV time and anxiousness. Shorter sleep duration on non-working days, feeling refreshed after waking up on non-working days, higher quality of life and optimism, and lower anxiousness were associated with higher well-being among non-health students. Identifying unhealthy lifestyle habits in students is essential for implementing targeted interventions to better their health outcomes.

Academic burnout in psychology and health-allied sciences: the BENDiT-EU program for students and staff in higher education

Studying at university involves demanding academic and clinical training requirements for students from Psychology and other health-allied fields, potentially having severe physical and mental health implications. Existing training programs for addressing burnout have focused thus far on specific areas (e.g., stress management, physical exercise, mindfulness meditation, etc.) with promising outcomes. However, no comprehensive programs have been developed to train students and staff in the early identification of burnout signs and characteristics as well as in self-assessing personal needs and habits (i.e., primary prevention), or in identifying community resources and evidence-based strategies to overcome burnout (i.e., secondary prevention). This paper describes the content development, refinement, and piloting process of the BENDiT-EU program as part of a European collaborative to address academic burnout for health-allied students. Piloting results showed that participants viewed the program positively and provided helpful suggestions for content improvement and training delivery. Future research directions should target experimental investigations of the program's effectiveness and the longitudinal interaction of burnout with other variables (e.g., resilience).

Exploring the determinants of workplace mental health in a medical institution in central India: A cross-sectional survey

Introduction

Mental health at the workplace (WMH) is an important indicator for the optimum functioning of a medical institute. To establish an effective WMH, it is essential to understand the level of awareness, perceptions, and felt needs of students and staff of a medical institute regarding mental health services within the campus.

Material and Methods

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in an institution of national importance in Central India using a semistructured questionnaire based on Kobo Toolbox. Felt need for periodic mental health screening within the institutional campus (FN-S) and felt need of having a separate cell for mental healthcare of students and employees (FN-C) were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

A total of 526 out of 2190 eligible students and staff completed the survey (response rate 24.1%). About half of the participants were not aware, of whom to contact on campus in case of mental health concerns (MHCs), more than three-fourths were not aware of the rights for seeking treatment, and three-fourths thought that getting diagnosed with an MHC would negatively impact their academic course or work. There was a high felt need for mental health screening services (91.1%), and almost two-thirds felt the need for a separate mental health cell. The FN-S was higher among those from rural areas, those not using social media, those without a preexisting MHC, and those without FN-C. FN-C was higher in those not using social media, those having sleep disturbances, those with unawareness of the rights of a mentally ill person, those without any MHC, and those not having FN-S.

Conclusion

Active efforts are needed to roll out a mental health screening policy and separate mental health cells within the medical institute. Future research should focus on a qualitative inquiry into the details of the above findings.

Effect of Practicing Meditation, Pranayama, and Yoga on the Mental Health of Female Undergraduate Medical Students: An Interventional Study

Background

Medical education is a rigorous formal education with a vast syllabus. Burnout and stresses are common among medical students and more prominent in females. Female medical students suffer from a higher level of stress than male medical students. For the improvement of physical and mental health, meditation, pranayama, and yoga are some of the ancient techniques. Meditation is a technique of focusing the mind on a target like an object, activity, or any thought. Pranayama is an ancient yogic practice focusing on the breath. Yoga is a combination of physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions that has the potential to improve mental and physical health.

Objective

This study aimed to find the effect of meditation, pranayama, and yoga on the improvement of mental health among female undergraduate medical students.

Materials and methods

This was an interventional study. A total of 105 females with a median age of 19 years (first quartile - third quartile: 18-20) first-year undergraduate medical students were recruited for this study. They were randomly allocated to control, meditation, pranayama, and yoga groups. The control group did not practice any form of meditation, pranayama, or yoga. The rest of the group practiced a designated program for their group, six days a week for 12 weeks. The anxiety, depression, anger, and sense of well-being were assessed by a validated self-administered questionnaire developed by the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, New Delhi before starting the study, at six weeks, and at 12 weeks after the intervention. Inter-group levels of anxiety, depression, anger, and well-being were compared by the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s posthoc test. Intra-group parameters at baseline, at six weeks, and at 12 weeks after the intervention was tested by Friedman’s test.

Result

The age (years) (p = 0.07), height (cm) (p = 0.98), and weight (kg) (p = 0.26) of participants among groups were similar. Anxiety, depression, and anger significantly decreased after six weeks in all three intervention groups. A further decrement was seen after 12 weeks of meditation, pranayama, and yoga. The maximum effect was seen in the yoga group. A sense of well-being was improved after practicing all types of interventions. However, meditation was found to increase a sense of well-being to the highest level compared to pranayama and yoga.

Conclusion

Introduction and sustainment of meditation, pranayama, and yoga programs for first-year female undergraduate medical students may help reduce anxiety, depression, and anger and promote a sense of well-being. Although a six-week program helps to improve mental health, a 12-week program helps in further improvement. A yoga program is more effective for improving the mental health of the students in comparison with pranayama and meditation.

Patterns and barriers of mental health service utilization among medical students: a cross-sectional study

Background

The prevalence of mental health problems among medical students has been steadily rising. It is greater than the prevalence of mental health problems among other students, negatively impacting students, and their future careers. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of the self-reported need for mental health care, the pattern of utilization of mental health services, and the different barriers that hinder medical students from seeking professional help.

Results

This study was conducted among medical students at Mansoura University, using a structured self-reported online questionnaire to collect the need for mental health services, sociodemographic details, the pattern of utilization of mental health services, and the barriers using a Likert scale of 30 items named Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation Version 3. According to this study, 77.77% felt the need for mental health care. The independent predictors for feeling the need for mental health care were female sex and urban residence with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.7 and 1.9, respectively. Regarding mental healthcare needs, most of the barriers were instrumental and attitudinal related. Lack of information about how to access services and solve the problem by themselves was the most common barriers followed by time and financial affords.

Conclusions

It appears that Mansoura medical students are at higher risk of feeling the need for mental care. Considerable barriers to help-seeking remain prevalent, including both logistical (e.g., time) and informational (e.g., lack of knowledge about the available services).