Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Medical Students: Prevalence, Severity, and Correlates

Torres, Albina Rodrigues; Cruz, Bruna L.; Vicentini, Henrique Cláudio; Lima, Maria Lúcia Pereira; Ramos-Cerqueira, Ana Teresa de Abreu

doi:10.1007/s40596-015-0357-2

Cited by 32 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Finally, in the present study, OCDs were found to be significantly related to marital status and year of study. These findings are in tandem with the observations of Torres et al (2016), who noted that prevalence rates for this disorder were higher among fresher students (year 1 and 2 students). According to these authors, the 'obsession' dimension was also associated with being a 'freshman' (Torres et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Spectrum of Anxiety Disorders Among Medical Students in a Nigerian Medical School: A Cross-Sectional Study With Standardized Screening Tools

Chinawa¹,

Chinawa²,

Aniwada³

et al. 2018

JEDP

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BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders among medical students constitute a global problem, and also reflect the mental state of the general population. There is paucity of data on the spectrum of such disorders among medical students in Nigeria.AIM: The study aims to determine the prevalence of anxiety disorders among medical students, and the effect of socio-demographic characteristics.METHODS: A total of 217 medical students from the second to the final years of study at Enugu State University of Science and Technology in south-east Nigeria were enrolled by simple random sampling. Five pretested, self- administered standardized questionnaires were used as screening tools for anxiety disorders. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program (SPSS version 20). A p-value less than 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.RESULTS: Thirty one (14.3%) of the enrolled medical students fulfilled the screening criteria for anxiety disorders. Specifically, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was significantly related to gender (p =0.017) and the year of study (p =0.017). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was significantly related to the year of study (p =0.037), and social anxiety disorder (SAD) to the year of study (p =0.003) and gender (p =0.04). Similarly, panic disorder was significantly related to the year of study (p =0.025) while specific phobia was significantly associated with marital status (p =0.003), parental monthly income (p =0.022) and student’s monthly allowance (p =0.002). Finally, obsessive-compulsive disorder was significantly related to marital status (p =0.034) and year of study (p =0.028).CONCLUSION: Medical students in Nigeria are prone to a spectrum of anxiety disorders. This susceptibility is influenced by socio-demographic characteristics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Spectrum of Anxiety Disorders Among Medical Students in a Nigerian Medical School: A Cross-Sectional Study With Standardized Screening Tools

Chinawa¹,

Chinawa²,

Aniwada³

et al. 2018

JEDP

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“…The findings suggested that the male students in the present study seem to have a higher prevalence of OCD than the general population [ 5 ]. Previously, Torres et al [ 29 ] found that 3.8% of Brazilian medical students had a possible case of OCD based on the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory–Revised. Using the OCD subsection of the Clinical Interview Schedule–Revised as a self-administered questionnaire, Jaisoorya et al [ 30 ] reported the point prevalence of OCD in Indian college students as 3.3% (males: 3.5%; females: 3.2%).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Among University Students: Prospective Cohort Survey Study

Ji¹,

Wei²,

Yue³

et al. 2020

J Med Internet Res

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with common mental health problems. However, evidence for the association between fear of COVID-19 and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is limited. Objective This study aimed to examine if fear of negative events affects Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores in the context of a COVID-19–fear-invoking environment. Methods All participants were medical university students and voluntarily completed three surveys via smartphone or computer. Survey 1 was conducted on February 8, 2020, following a 2-week-long quarantine period without classes; survey 2 was conducted on March 25, 2020, when participants had been taking online courses for 2 weeks; and survey 3 was conducted on April 28, 2020, when no new cases had been reported for 2 weeks. The surveys comprised the Y-BOCS and the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS); additional items included questions on demographics (age, gender, only child vs siblings, enrollment year, major), knowledge of COVID-19, and level of fear pertaining to COVID-19. Results In survey 1, 11.3% of participants (1519/13,478) scored ≥16 on the Y-BOCS (defined as possible OCD). In surveys 2 and 3, 3.6% (305/8162) and 3.5% (305/8511) of participants had scores indicative of possible OCD, respectively. The Y-BOCS score, anxiety level, quarantine level, and intensity of fear were significantly lower at surveys 2 and 3 than at survey 1 (P<.001 for all). Compared to those with a lower Y-BOCS score (<16), participants with possible OCD expressed greater intensity of fear and had higher SAS standard scores (P<.001). The regression linear analysis indicated that intensity of fear was positively correlated to the rate of possible OCD and the average total scores for the Y-BOCS in each survey (P<.001 for all). Multiple regressions showed that those with a higher intensity of fear, a higher anxiety level, of male gender, with sibling(s), and majoring in a nonmedicine discipline had a greater chance of having a higher Y-BOCS score in all surveys. These results were redemonstrated in the 5827 participants who completed both surveys 1 and 2 and in the 4006 participants who completed all three surveys. Furthermore, in matched participants, the Y-BOCS score was negatively correlated to changes in intensity of fear (r=0.74 for survey 2, P<.001; r=0.63 for survey 3, P=.006). Conclusions Our findings indicate that fear of COVID-19 was associated with a greater Y-BOCS score, suggesting that an environment (COVID-19 pandemic) × psychology (fear and/or anxiety) interaction might be involved in OCD and that a fear of negative events might play a role in the etiology of OCD.

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“…Mental disorders have been frequently observed among college students, especially those in medical areas [ 9 – 18 ]. Common mental disorders (CMD) have been the main focus of research among Brazilian college students, with prevalence rates ranging from 20% to 48%, which are higher than those identified in the general population (22–25%) [ 10 , 17 , 19 – 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and correlates of common mental disorders among dental students in Brazil

et al. 2018

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This study aimed to estimate prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) and associated factors among dental students. In this cross-sectional study, 230 students answered a questionnaire and instruments to assess CMD (Self Reporting Questionnaire-20), hazardous alcohol consumption (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test), social support (Social Support Scale), perceptions of academic life (Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure), coping (Ways of Coping Inventory) and resilience (Resilience Scale). Bivariate analysis was conducted using the Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney tests. Logistic regression included all explanatory variableswith p<0.20 in the bivariate analysis, besides sex and academic year. The explanatory variables were analyzed in five successive blocks (backward-stepwise), until all variables presented statistical significance in the final model (p<0.05). The prevalence of CMD was 45.2% (95%CI: 38.7–51.6), with no significant differences between sexes. Students with no extracurricular activities, who had negatively self- assessed their health status and their academic performance, were about four times more likely to present CMD, followed by receiving psychological or psychiatric treatment during university (AOR: 2.65; 95%CI: 1.1–6.1) and those with high scores for confrontive coping (AOR: 1.20; 95%CI: 1.0–1.4). Resilience was a protective factor for CMD among dental students (AOR: 0.93; 95%CI: 0.9–1.0). Aspects related to academic performance, health status and confrontive coping strategies were risk factors to students’ mental health. Individuals with high levels of resilience showed lower prevalence of CMD. Further prospective studies could contribute to understanding the role of resilience among this population.

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Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Medical Students: Prevalence, Severity, and Correlates

Cited by 32 publications

References 45 publications

Spectrum of Anxiety Disorders Among Medical Students in a Nigerian Medical School: A Cross-Sectional Study With Standardized Screening Tools

Spectrum of Anxiety Disorders Among Medical Students in a Nigerian Medical School: A Cross-Sectional Study With Standardized Screening Tools

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Among University Students: Prospective Cohort Survey Study

Prevalence and correlates of common mental disorders among dental students in Brazil

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