Cultural variations in wellbeing, burnout and substance use amongst medical students in twelve countries.

Journal: International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England)

Volume: 33

Issue: 1-2

Year of Publication: 2021

Affiliated Institutions:  Department of Psychiatry, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK. Department of Tees, Esk, and Wear Valleys, NHS Foundation Trust, UK. St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London Hospitals, London, UK. Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco. Department of Psychiatry, CUF Porto Hospital, Porto, Portugal. Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan. Department of Psychiatry, Advanced Neuropsychiatry Institute, Kolkata, India. Department of Neurosciences, Chair of Psychiatry, Universita Politecnica Delle Marche, Ancona, Italy. Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Department of Psychiatry, National University of Asunción, School of Medical Sciences, San Lorenzo, Paraguay. Department of Neuroscience, ABC Health University Center, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, HKSAR. Department of Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.

Abstract summary 

High levels of stress, burnout, and symptoms of poor mental health have been well known among practicing doctors for a number of years. Indeed, many health systems have formal and informal mechanisms to offer support and treatment where needed, though this varies tremendously across cultures. There is increasing evidence that current medical students, our doctors of the future, also report very high levels of distress, burnout, and substance misuse. We sampled large groups of medical students in 12 countries at the same time and with exactly the same method in order to aid direct comparison. 3766 students responded to our survey across five continents in what we believe is a global first. Our results show that students in all 12 countries report very high levels of 'caseness' on validated measures of psychiatric symptoms and burnout. Rates of substance misuse, often a cause of or coping mechanism for this distress, and identified sources of stress also varied across cultures. Variations are strongly influenced by cultural factors. Further quantitative and qualitative research is required to confirm our results and further delineate the causes for high rates of psychiatric symptoms and burnout. Studies should also focus on the implementation of strategies to safeguard and identify those most at risk.

Authors & Co-authors:  Molodynski Andrew A Lewis Thomas T Kadhum Murtaza M Farrell Sarah Marie SM Lemtiri Chelieh Maha M Falcão De Almeida Telma T Masri Rawan R Kar Anindya A Volpe Umberto U Moir Fiona F Torales Julio J Castaldelli-Maia João Mauricio JM Chau Steven W H SWH Wilkes Chris C Bhugra Dinesh D

Study Outcome 

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Statistics
Citations : 
Authors :  15
Identifiers
Doi : 10.1080/09540261.2020.1738064
SSN : 1369-1627
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Burnout, Professional
Other Terms
Medical students;burnout;stress;substance abuse;wellbeing
Study Design
Study Approach
,Quantitative,Qualitative
Country of Study
Publication Country
England