Prevalence of Psychological distress among medical students in different levels of training and other associated factors in Riyadh

Background: Medical school is commonly perceived as a demanding environment that can negatively affect a student’s academic performance, physical fitness, and mental well-being. According to a study, 23 percent of undergraduate clinical college students in the United States had clinical depression, and 57 percent were under mental stress. Our main aim of this study is to assess the mental health of medical students in different levels of training to see if a certain level plays a higher role in developing mental health issues. Methodology: This quantitative study is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among medical students in different universities in Riyadh region. The study depended on a self-reported questionnaire that included validated GHQ-12 for the Arab population that was used for assessing psychological distress. Results: In the current study, we collected data from 617 medical students from four universities in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. Among the students, 56.7 % of the participants were males, and 42.1 % were aged between 20-21 years old, and 91.6 % of them were single. According to the GHQ-12, 368 students were classified as GHQ- cases having symptoms of depression and psychiatric disorders (59.6 %). The prevalence of psychological distress among female students was significantly higher than among males (68.9 % vs. 52.6 %, P=0.000). Furthermore, we found that the prevalence of distress was the lowest among students who reported higher than 30000 SR monthly income (P=0.015). Concerning educational level, the results of the current study did not show any significant difference in the prevalence of distress among students of different levels (P=0.096); however, students of the first level showed the highest level of distress (72.2 %). Conclusion: The current study confirmed the previous studies on the high prevalence of psychological distress among medical students, which was significantly higher among females, students of low income, and students with lower GPAs. Moreover, the study showed that first-level students were the most affected by psychological distress. Keywords: Mental health, psychological distress, medical students, medical education, Saudi Arabia