Psychological status of medical students and interns in the wake of the armed conflict of April 2023 in Sudan. A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The ongoing civil war in Sudan of April 2023 has erupted as two belligerent groups vie for the position of ruler in the country, resulting in severe detrimental effects throughout the population, from deaths to property losses to severe deterioration of the already strained infrastructures of the country, to the sheer psychological trauma from observing and suffering the ongoing dramatic events. A subgroup is the medical students and interns in Sudan, who suffered direct losses in every regard, from sheer psychological distress to deaths, with material losses and career disruptions. We believe this is a group that should be paid due attention. This study aims to determine whether certain elements can be viewed as correlates of the psychological disorders we expect to see prevalent and their prevalences. An online cross-sectional study was undertaken using several sampling methods to reach as far as we possibly could under the circumstances, with a structured questionnaire containing items divided between demographics, what we perceive to be factors, and scales (PHQ-9, GAD-7, AIS-8, and ITQ). The Survey was conducted from September 11th to 30th, 2023, resulting in 7306 responses, of which 665 were excluded. A sample of 6641 were included, of which 2370 (35.7%) were males and 4271 (64.3%) were females. We found prevalences of 33.7% for depression, 22.4% for anxiety, 13.6% for PTSD, and 59.5% for Insomnia, correlating with several factors, noted to impact the psychological health of our sample. Our findings suggest the need for purposeful, directed interventions to mitigate the impact of this conflict, and all that may follow.