A dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Specialty Certificate in Psychiatry
| dc.contributor.advisor | Dr. Pain, Clare | |
| dc.contributor.author | Getachew, Meron | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-10-23T13:05:35Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-11-05T09:32:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-10-23T13:05:35Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-11-05T09:32:55Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-11 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Introduction Numerous studies have shown that mental distress is a common problem among medical students. Factors associated varied across studies, however, the negative impact of mental distress on medical students has been shown to be manifold. Mental distress profiles may show variation over time, requiring periodic assessments so as to tailor interventions that best suit the current situation. Objective The objective of this study is to assess the level of mental distress and associated factors among medical students of Addis Ababa University. Methods A facility-based, cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted on medical students of Addis Ababa University. Stratified random sampling was employed & data was collected from consenting medical students (preclinical year 1 to internship) using a 2-part structured, self-administered questionnaire (Part I: Background Data & Part II: The 20- item Self Reporting Questionnaire [SRQ-20] English version). SPSS version 20 was used for data entry and univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to assess factors associated with mental distress. vi Results A total of 291 medical students participated in the study. The one-month prevalence of mental distress among medical students of Addis Ababa University was 64.9%, which is nearly double the prevalence 12 years ago. Suicidal ideation was reported by 14.1% of the respondents (6% in the original study). Female sex (AOR=2.187, 95% CI=1.131- 4.231), current feelings of dissatisfaction about having joined Medicine (AOR=2.839, 95% CI=1.278- 6.302) and having experienced a challenging life event in the preceding 30 days (AOR= 3.787 95% CI=1.179- 12.167) were associated independently with greater odds of mental distress. Lifetime substance use (X2= 10.658, df= 1, p=0.001) and current substance use (X2=4.080, df=1, p=0.043) had significant associations with mental distress but no such association was present in multivariate analysis. Other variables including age and year of study showed no (significant) association with mental distress in univariate or multivariate analyses. Conclusion The study shows that the prevalence of mental distress among medical students of Addis Ababa University is higher than that reported 12 years ago. Continued supportive interventions for medical students and studies of a qualitative nature are recommended. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/13098 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | en_US |
| dc.subject | mental distress,medical students | en_US |
| dc.title | A dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Specialty Certificate in Psychiatry | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |