Exploring the relationship between psychological distress and student worry: a study of mental health at the college of medical sciences, university of Guyana

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Author: 
Dr. Andrew Hutson, Obena Vanlewin, Charlan Abrams, Ave Abraham, Davon Van-Veen, Bibi Ally-Charles, Ede Tyrell, Jamain Hatton, Latoya Harris and Dr. Cecil Boston

Objectives: To conduct a detailed analysis of the relationships between student worries and psychological distress within the College of Medical Sciences. Designs and Methods: A convenience sampling technique was used to select participants who provided consent before answering a questionnaire. All participating students were legally eligible. Demographic data collection included age, residence and sex. The study used a modified Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale to evaluate students' well-being, mental health, concerns, medication usage, and coping strategies. Results: There was a significant association between Mental health status based on Warwick-Edinburgh Mental well-being groups and interference with Daily Living Activities and University Studies (X² = 26.497, df=1, p< 0.001). An odds ratio showed those who reported interference with daily living activities and University studies due to worry were four times more likely to experience psychological distress than their counterparts (OR: 3.6517 95 %, CI:2.207- 6.042, Z statistic: 5.041, Significance level P < 0.0001). A Chi-squared test found that there is a significant association between Mental health status and Student requests for support from Academic staff among College of Medical Science students. (X² = 9.760, df=1, p< 0.002). The Shapiro-Wilks test found the Warwick-Edinburgh mental health and well-being scores to be normally distributed; Test statistic W= 0.993, df: 289, p-value: 0.175. An independent samples T-test showed a significant difference between the mean scores on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for those who reported interference with daily living activities due to worry. The effect size is large (d=0.838). The 95% confidence interval for the difference of the means ranged from 3.3 to 5.87. Conclusion: These findings collectively underscore the intricate relationships between mental health, academic challenges, and the seeking of support among College of Medical Science students. The results align with existing research, contributing to a deeper understanding of the nuanced factors influencing mental well-being within this academic context.

Paper No: 
5331