Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students
Introduction The initial year of medical school is linked to a decline in mental health. To assess mental health comprehensively, the dual-factor model posits the consideration of both psychopathology (e.g., depression) and positive mental health (e.g., well-being). Previous mental health research a...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Medical Education Online |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2024.2317493 |
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| author | Sabine Polujanski Ulrike Nett Thomas Rotthoff Melissa Oezsoy Ann-Kathrin Schindler |
| author_facet | Sabine Polujanski Ulrike Nett Thomas Rotthoff Melissa Oezsoy Ann-Kathrin Schindler |
| author_sort | Sabine Polujanski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction The initial year of medical school is linked to a decline in mental health. To assess mental health comprehensively, the dual-factor model posits the consideration of both psychopathology (e.g., depression) and positive mental health (e.g., well-being). Previous mental health research among medical students has primarily examined these two factors independently. This study uses the dual-factor approach for a deeper understanding of mental health changes during the first year of medical school.Methods Students from eight German medical schools (N = 450) were surveyed three times (T0 = entering medical school, T1 = end of the first semester, T2 = end of the second semester) regarding depression (PHQ-9), well-being (subscale of FAHW-12), and general life satisfaction (German Single-Item Scale L1). Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct mental health groups based on their combinations of psychopathology and positive mental health. We then analysed trajectories descriptively by examining the longitudinal stability and dynamics of mental health group membership during the first year of medical school.Results We identified five mental health groups: (1) complete mental health, (2) moderately mentally healthy, (3) symptomatic but content, (4) vulnerable, and (5) troubled. The examination of change trajectories unveiled diverse paths pointing towards both recovery and deterioration. In comparison to the other groups, students belonging to the complete mental health group exhibited greater stability and a higher potential to recover after initial deteriorations in the first semester.Conclusions Our study uncovers distinct mental health trajectories in the first year of medical school, emphasizing the crucial role of initial mental health status. Our findings stress the diverse nature of mental health changes in medical students, underscoring the need for tailored prevention strategies. The implications for research and practice are discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77de72d29e684cbd81cdd7a65ce8ceee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1087-2981 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medical Education Online |
| spelling | doaj-art-77de72d29e684cbd81cdd7a65ce8ceee2024-11-29T14:20:59ZengTaylor & Francis GroupMedical Education Online1087-29812024-12-0129110.1080/10872981.2024.2317493Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical studentsSabine Polujanski0Ulrike Nett1Thomas Rotthoff2Melissa Oezsoy3Ann-Kathrin Schindler4Medical Didactics and Education Research, DEMEDA (Department of Medical Education), Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, GermanyDepartment of Empirical Educational Research, Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, GermanyMedical Didactics and Education Research, DEMEDA (Department of Medical Education), Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, GermanyMedical Didactics and Education Research, DEMEDA (Department of Medical Education), Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, GermanyMedical Didactics and Education Research, DEMEDA (Department of Medical Education), Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, GermanyIntroduction The initial year of medical school is linked to a decline in mental health. To assess mental health comprehensively, the dual-factor model posits the consideration of both psychopathology (e.g., depression) and positive mental health (e.g., well-being). Previous mental health research among medical students has primarily examined these two factors independently. This study uses the dual-factor approach for a deeper understanding of mental health changes during the first year of medical school.Methods Students from eight German medical schools (N = 450) were surveyed three times (T0 = entering medical school, T1 = end of the first semester, T2 = end of the second semester) regarding depression (PHQ-9), well-being (subscale of FAHW-12), and general life satisfaction (German Single-Item Scale L1). Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct mental health groups based on their combinations of psychopathology and positive mental health. We then analysed trajectories descriptively by examining the longitudinal stability and dynamics of mental health group membership during the first year of medical school.Results We identified five mental health groups: (1) complete mental health, (2) moderately mentally healthy, (3) symptomatic but content, (4) vulnerable, and (5) troubled. The examination of change trajectories unveiled diverse paths pointing towards both recovery and deterioration. In comparison to the other groups, students belonging to the complete mental health group exhibited greater stability and a higher potential to recover after initial deteriorations in the first semester.Conclusions Our study uncovers distinct mental health trajectories in the first year of medical school, emphasizing the crucial role of initial mental health status. Our findings stress the diverse nature of mental health changes in medical students, underscoring the need for tailored prevention strategies. The implications for research and practice are discussed.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2024.2317493Medical studentsdual-factor modelfreshmenlatent profile analysismental health changes |
| spellingShingle | Sabine Polujanski Ulrike Nett Thomas Rotthoff Melissa Oezsoy Ann-Kathrin Schindler Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students Medical Education Online Medical students dual-factor model freshmen latent profile analysis mental health changes |
| title | Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students |
| title_full | Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students |
| title_fullStr | Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students |
| title_short | Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students |
| title_sort | uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first year medical students |
| topic | Medical students dual-factor model freshmen latent profile analysis mental health changes |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2024.2317493 |
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