Evaluation of anxiety levels and their associated factors in medical interns

Abstract: Introduction: The internship period for a medical student is complex and demands attention from medical schools regarding the mental health of these trainee doctors. Objective: Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess factors associated with anxiety levels among medical interns. Method: A cross-sectional analytical study with a quantitative approach. Two questionnaires were applied, one with sociodemographic, personal and clinical data and the other consisting of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) Results: 140 medical students were included in the research. Most of the students were 24 years old or under (67.9%); 70.7% were female. The majority were single (54.2%), and lived with family members (68.3%), while 31% reported having a religion. When correlating sociodemographic aspects to levels of anxiety, a much higher frequency of females with mild and moderate anxiety was identified than that of males (p = 0.0133). Personal and clinical aspects compared to the levels of anxiety showed a higher frequency of anxiety in all levels of students who claimed to undergo psychiatric or psychological therapy (p = 0.0110). Suffering from insomnia is related to moderate to severe anxiety (p <0.0001). Using substances that alter sleep is related to a higher frequency of students at all levels of anxiety (p = 0.0099). Satisfaction with academic performance is less related to anxiety levels (p = 0.0017). However, higher frequency in students with moderate to severe and severe anxiety were found in those who reported having already contemplated leaving medical school (p = 0.0239). Conclusion: This study revealed the sociodemographic, personal and clinical aspects and, consequently, the risk factors that are most frequently associated to anxiety in medical interns. Furthermore, it exposes the consequences that the variable levels of anxiety can have on an individual, and it is essential to adopt measures to combat and prevent the development of anxiety symptoms.

【摘要】
引言：医学专业学生的实习阶段复杂且任务繁重，医学院校亟需关注此类见习医师的心理健康状态。
研究目的：据此，本研究旨在评估与医学见习医师焦虑水平相关的影响因素。
研究方法：本研究采用横断面分析性研究设计，辅以定量研究方法。共使用两份调查问卷：第一份用于收集受试者的社会人口学、个人及临床相关资料，第二份为贝克焦虑量表（Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI）。
研究结果：本研究共纳入140名医学生。其中67.9%的受试者年龄≤24岁，70.7%为女性。多数受试者未婚（54.2%），且与家庭成员共同居住（68.3%），另有31%的受试者自述拥有宗教信仰。
在社会人口学特征与焦虑水平的相关性分析中，轻度及中度焦虑的女性受试者占比显著高于男性（p=0.0133）。
针对个人与临床特征与焦虑水平的分析显示，自述接受过精神科或心理咨询治疗的受试者，各程度焦虑的发生频率显著更高（p=0.0110）。
存在失眠症状与中重度焦虑存在显著关联（p<0.0001）。
使用影响睡眠的物质与各程度焦虑的发生频率升高相关（p=0.0099）。
对学业表现的满意度与焦虑水平呈负相关（p=0.0017）。此外，自述曾考虑过退学的医学生中，中度至重度及重度焦虑的占比更高（p=0.0239）。
研究结论：本研究明确了与医学见习医师焦虑发生相关的社会人口学、个人及临床特征，进而确定了与之高频关联的风险因素。同时，本研究也揭示了不同程度焦虑对个体造成的影响，因此采取措施对抗及预防焦虑症状发展的举措至关重要。