Citation

Tang W, Kang Y, Xu J, Li T. Community Ment. Health J. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Mental Health Center, State Key Lab of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. taoliscu@126.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10597-019-00523-4

PMID

31919657

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the associations of suicidality with psychological distress, somatic symptoms, and stressors in medical school students. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students at a large, top-ranked medical school. A total sample of 662 medical students (269 men) completed a battery of self-reported questionnaire. Of the respondents, 136 (20.5%) reported having suicidal ideation, 40 (6.0%) reported having planned suicide, and 10 (1.5%) reported having attempted suicide during the previous year. Students from rural areas and the 3rd year of study reported higher levels of suicidal ideation than their counterparts. General pain/fatigue was associated with suicidal ideation and planning, while interpersonal difficulties were associated only with suicidal ideation. This study provides evidence linking severe psychological distress, general pain/fatigue, interpersonal stress and psychosocial factors with suicide risk among Chinese medical students which provides targets for future psychological interventions.

Language: en

Keywords

Adverse life events; Medical students; Psychological distress; Somatic symptoms; Suicide