Associations of Suicidality with Adverse Life Events, Psychological Distress and Somatic Complaints in a Chinese Medical Student Sample

Overview

Journal Community Ment Health J

Specialty Health Services

Date 2020 Jan 11

PMID 31919657

Citations 7

Authors

Wanjie Tang

Yukun Kang

Jiuping Xu

Tao Li

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

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.

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