The Effects of Research Activities on Biomedical Students' Mental Health

A National Cross-Sectional Study

Bibliographic Data

ID15528539
AuthorsYue Li (0009-0004-9365-9070, Chinese PLA General Hospital), Shengyang Jin (0009-0003-0837-0882, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College), Ya LI (0000-0002-7710-5770, Chinese PLA General Hospital), Fei Guo (0000-0001-9371-0463, Air Force Medical University), Ting Luo (0000-0003-0911-5835, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University), Bo Pan (0009-0009-4561-2469, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, corresponding author), Mingxing Lei (0000-0002-4271-2714, Hainan General Hospital, corresponding author), Yaosheng Liu (0000-0001-7140-8888, Chinese PLA General Hospital, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume13
Pages796697-796697
Publication date2022-03-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2022.796697
PMID35422724
OpenAlexW4220674007
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited13

Mental health disorders are prevalent among biomedical students, and scientific research is one of their main activities, yet less is known about the relationship between research activities and mental health among these students. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the associations between research activities and mental health and to identify the potential risk factors for anxiety and depression among biomedical students in China. This study enrolled 1,079 participants between November 2020 and December 2020 from 29 Chinese provinces and collected participants' basic characteristics, work situations, scientific achievements, and potential stress sources via an online questionnaire. Anxiety and depression were evaluated by two widely used scales, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. The study also assessed the associations between scientific research duration and mental health. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the predictors of anxiety and depression. Among the participants, 39.02% scored as having moderate to severe anxiety, and 37.54% scored as having moderate to severe depression. When the Youden index reached its maximum, the optimal cutoff was 7.17 h for the GAD-7 and 6.83 h for the PHQ-9. After adjustment for confounders, a longer research work duration was significantly associated with a higher anxiety [odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21-1.44, p p < 0.01). Of all the participants working for 7 h a day, 37.04% had already published at least one paper and 25.93% had at least one Science Citation Index paper. Anxiety and depression are common among biomedical students. The research work duration of 7 h a day is the best cutoff for mental health, and it is associated with acceptable scientific research achievements. Not more than 7 h a day on research is recommended for biomedical students to maintain a balance between mental health and scientific research achievements

Anxiety · Confidence interval · Confounding · Cross-sectional study · Depression (economics · Mental health · Odds ratio · Patient Health Questionnaire · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Health and Well-being Studies · Health, psychology, and well-being · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Psychology · Internal Medicine

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