The relationship between mental health status with academic performance and demographic factors among students of university of medical sciences

Background and Purpose: The students studying at the universities of medical sciences deal with numerous stressors during their educational experiences in the healthcare settings, which lead to poor mental health status and low performance. These stressors include the psychological pressures of the environment, the hospital settings, diseases, patients, heavy course load and training, economic and family problems, and no hope for the future career. Regarding this, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between mental health and academic performance among the students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2015.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on the undergraduate students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences using quota sampling method. For the purpose of the study, a total of 270 students were entered into the study from the medicine, nursing and midwifery, health, and paramedical schools. The data collection was performed using a demographic form and the 28-itemed General Health Questionnaire. Additionally, the academic performance was determined using the grade point average (GPA). The data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient and Chi-square test through the SPSS version 16.

Results: According to the results of the study, the GPA was found to be 15.9±1.54. The means of the somatic symptoms, anxiety/ insomnia, social dysfunction, severe depression domains, and total mental health were 3.52±6.57, 6.99±3.97, 8.61±2.95, 4.24 ±4.12, and 27.47±10.55, respectively. The Spearman correlation test demonstrated a positive correlation between the mental health and age (P<0.001, r=0.289). Furthermore, the Chi-square test revealed that the total mental health had a significant relationship with the gender (P=0.013) and field of study (P=0.013). However, no significant relationship was observed between the total mental health and GPA (P=0.76).

Conclusion: Considering the importance of the mental health issue in the students of medical sciences, the authorities should pay more attention to solving the students’ mental health problems and provide them with more student counseling centers.