Mental health status of entrance students in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from the national university entrance exam in the academic year 2014-2015

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Professor of biostatistics, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Evidence-Based Care Research Center, Department of Nursing Management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 M.Sc. in biostatistics, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological disorders have created many problems for students as the most prestigious and chosen sectors of society and have greatly affected students’ academic performance and also disturb their mental, emotional and social developments. This study was conducted to determine the mental health of entrance students in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from the national university entrance exam in the academic year 2014-2015.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 973 first year students (340 males and 633 females) from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 22.
Results:The prevalence of mental disorders among students was 12.2%. This ratio was 11.8% in men and 12.5% in women. There was a significant correlation between students' mental health and gender as well as the place of study variable (P<0.05). Also, the students of the Health and Paramedics Faculties had the highest rate of disorder or suspected impairment. There was no significant relationship between mental health and native status, marital status and age group.
Conclusion: Attention to the mental health of students is important because of the prevalence of mental disorders among students in this study and that mental disorder reduces one's ability to perform activities and educational affairs and given the important point that many of these disorders can be evaluated and predictable.

Keywords


  1. Dadkhah B, Mohammadi M, Mozaffari N. [Mental health status of the students in Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, 2004]. Journal of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences 2006; 6(1): 31-6. (Persian)
  2. Sadeghian E, Heidarian Pour A. [Stressors and mental health status among students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences]. Journal of Hayat 2009; 15(1): 71-80. (Persian)
  3. Noorbala A. [Psychosocial health and strategies for improvement]. Iranian journal of psychiatry and clinical psychology 2011; 17(2): 151-6. (Persian)
  4. Kaveh M, Shojaeizadeh D, Shahmohammadi D, Eftekhar AH, Rahimi A, Bou AJ. [Teachers' role in elementary school mental health: Results of an interventional study]. Payesh 2003; 2(2): 95-103. (Persian)
  5. WHO. The World Health Report: Mental health: new understanding, new hope. World Health Organization 2001; 3: 54-6.
  6. Roseman IJ, Dhawan N, Rettek SI, Naidu RK, Thapa K. Cultural differences and cross-cultural similarities in appraisals and emotional responses. J Cross-Cultur Psychol 1995; 26(1): 23-48.
  7. Sadock BJ, Sadock VA, Kaplan HI. Kaplan and Sadock's synopsis of psychiatry: behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2003: 7-9.
  8. Cho Y-B. Suicidal ideation, acculturative stress and perceived social support among Korean adolescents. ProQuest information learning 2003; 2(8): 63-8.
  9. Baker S, Brown BJ, Fazey JA. Mental health and higher education: mapping field, consciousness and legitimation. Crit Soc Policy 2006; 26(1): 31-56.
  10. Garousi Farshi M, Sofiyani H. [The relationship between personality dimensions and mental health in Tabriz sciences college students]. Journal of psychology and educational studies 2008; 9(2): 47-63. (Persian)
  11. Adham D, Amiri M, Dadkhah B, Mohammadi M, Mozaffari N, Sattari Z, et al. [The survey of mental health status in Ardabil University of Medical Sciences students in 2007-2008]. Journal of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences 2008; 8(3): 229-34. (Persian)
  12. Shariati M, Kaffashi A, Ghalehbandi M, Fateh A, Ebadi M. [Mental health in medical students of the Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)].  Payesh 2002; 1(3): 29-37. (Persian)
  13. Benitez C, Quintero J, Torres R. [Prevalence of risk for mental disorders among undergraduate medical students at the Medical School of the Catholic University of Chile]. Rev Med Chil 2001; 129(2): 173-8. (Spanish)
  14. Henderson AS. An introduction to social psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1988: 20-22.
  15. Borabadi A, Motakeffar M, Kamranian H, Akrami R. [Study of mental health status and connected factors in newcomer students of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences in academic year of 2012-2013]. Journal of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences; 23(4): 560-9. (Persian)
  16. Goldberg DP, Gater R, Sartorius N, Ustun TB, Piccinelli M, Gureje O, et al. The validity of two versions of the GHQ in the WHO study of mental illness in general health care. Psychol Med 1997; 27(1): 191-7.
  17. Goldberg DP. The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire: A technique for the identification and assessment of non-psychotic illness. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1972.
  18. Omidian M. [Study of general health status and happiness in Yazd University students]. Studies in education and psychology 2009; 10(1): 101-16. (Persian)
  19. Yousefi F, Mohamadkhani M. Investigation of students’ mental health at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences and it related with age, gender and their academic courses. Medical journal of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences 2014; 56(6): 354-61. (Persian)
  20. Najafi B, Arzaghi M, Fakhrzadeh H, Sharifi F, Shoaei S, Alizadeh M, et al. [Mental health status and related factors in aged population: Urban health equity assessment and response tool (Urban-HEART) study in Tehran]. Iranian Journal of Diabetes and Metabolism 2013; 13(1): 62-73. (Persian)
  21. Fones C, Kua E, Ko S. Studying the mental health of Singapore. Singapore Med J 1998; 53: 251-60.
  22. Noorbala AA, Bagheri Yazdi SA, Asadi Lari M, Mahdavi V, Reza M. Mental health status of individuals fifteen years and older in Tehran-Iran (2009). Iranian journal of psychiatry and clinical psychology 2011; 16(4): 479-83. (Persian)
  23. Azizi S, Ebrahimi MT, Shamshirian A, Houshmand S, Ebrahimi M, Seyyed Esmaeeli F, et al. [Evaluation of the level of depression in students of School of Paramedic Sciences, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, in 2015]. Tabari journal of preventive medicine 2016; 1(3): 41-8. (Persian)
  24. Rashidi F. [Study of the range of depression in students of Zanjan nursing and midwifery faculty].  Journal of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services 2001; 9: 44-54. (Persian)
  25. Ahmadi Z. Surveying mental health status of nursing and non-nursing students of Shahroud Islamic Azad University. Medical Science Journal of Islamic Azad Univesity-Tehran Medical Branch 2007 ;17(2):107-11. (Persian)
  26. Tavakolizadeh J, Khodadadi Z. [Assessment of mental health among freshmen entering the first semester in Gonabad University of Medical Sciences in 2009-2010]. The horizon of medical sciences 2010; 16(2): 45-51. (Persian)
  27. Jahani Hashemi H, Rahimzadeh Mirmahalleh S, Ghafelehbashy H, Sarichloo M. [Investigating the mental health of the first- and last-year students of QUMS (2005)]. The journal of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences 2008; 12(2): 42-9. (Persian)
  28. Karami S, Piraste A. [The survey of mental health status in students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences University]. Scientific journal of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences 2002; 35: 66-73. (Persian)
  29. Gilasi h. Abstract of Thesis of Graduates of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. 2 ed. kashan, 2006:50-51. (Persian)
  30. Yazdanpanah B, Afshan E. [Abstract of research projects in Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad University of Medical Sciences]. Yasuj: Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, 2006: 56-9. (Persian)