• Login
    View Item 
    •   Shocker Open Access Repository Home
    • Graduate Student Research
    • GRASP: Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects
    • Proceedings 2022: 18th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects
    • View Item
    •   Shocker Open Access Repository Home
    • Graduate Student Research
    • GRASP: Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects
    • Proceedings 2022: 18th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Mental health of PA students

    View/Open
    abstract (40.48Kb)
    Date
    2022-04-29
    Author
    Gutierrez, Carina
    Brown, Natalie
    Glidewell, Hannah
    Advisor
    Wallace, Michelle
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Gutierrez, C.; Brown, N.; Glidewell, H. 2022. Mental health of PA students -- In Proceedings: 18th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects. Wichita, KS: Wichita State University
    Abstract
    INTRODUCTION: Evidence has shown that the prevalence of some mental health disorders is higher among students enrolled in medical school. There is a concern that this may be true for physician assistant (PA) students as well, but less data exists. High levels of stress leading to burnout among students is associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and overall poor quality of life. PURPOSE: This research aims to evaluate the prevalence of depression and anxiety in PA students. METHODS: A cross sectional (survey) was distributed to PA students using an anonymous Qualtrics link. The survey link was sent to the program director for all accredited PA programs in the US so that it could be distributed to their students, and additional participants were recruited through social media and local advertisement. Within the survey, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) screening tools were utilized to evaluate for the symptoms of generalized anxiety and depressive disorders. RESULTS: Of the study participants, 15.8% identified as male, 83.2% identified as female and 0.6% identified as non-binary. There were 789 students who completed the PHQ-9 and of those 63% (n=497) had scores that indicate mild to severe levels of depression. There were 782 students who completed the GAD-7 and of those 67% (n=520) had scores that indicate mild to severe levels of anxiety. Additionally, 24.2% (195/804) of students report being diagnosed with a mental health disorder since starting their PA program. The influence of COVID-19 was also assessed in our survey, and 70.7% of participants affirmed the pandemic has impacted their mental health. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anxiety and depression among the PA student population is higher than the general population. Given the rate of depression and anxiety and the number of new diagnoses during the program, more research is needed to better understand what factors may be contributing to this decline in mental health. Further research could allow for implementation of targeted solutions to promote the mental well-being of PA students.
    Description
    Presented to the 18th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Rhatigan Student Center, Wichita State University, April 29, 2022

    Research completed in the Department of Physician Assistant, College of Health Professions
    URI
    https://soar.wichita.edu/handle/10057/23507
    Collections
    • PA Graduate Student Conference Papers
    • Proceedings 2022: 18th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects

    Browse

    All of Shocker Open Access RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsBy TypeThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsBy Type

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2022  DuraSpace
    DSpace Express is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV