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The Global Prevalence of Anxiety Among Medical Students: A Meta-Analysis
Open accessAbstract
Anxiety, although as common and arguably as debilitating as depression, has garnered less attention, and is often undetected and undertreated in the general population. Similarly, anxiety among medical students warrants greater attention due to its significant implications. We aimed to study the global prevalence of anxiety among medical students and the associated factors predisposing medical students to anxiety. In February 2019, we carried out a systematic search for cross-sectional studies that examined the prevalence of anxiety among medical students. We computed the aggregate prevalence and pooled odds ratio (OR) using the random-effects model and used meta-regression analyses to explore the sources of heterogeneity. We pooled and analyzed data from sixty-nine studies comprising 40,348 medical students. The global prevalence rate of anxiety among medical students was 33.8% (95% Confidence Interval: 29.2–38.7%). Anxiety was most prevalent among medical students from the Middle East and Asia. Subgroup analyses by gender and year of study found no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of anxiety. About one in three medical students globally have anxiety—a prevalence rate which is substantially higher than the general population. Administrators and leaders of medical schools should take the lead in destigmatizing mental illnesses and promoting help-seeking behaviors when students are stressed and anxious. Further research is needed to identify risk factors of anxiety unique to medical students.
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“a meta-analysis revealed that approximately 1 in 3 medical students worldwide experiences anxiety, a rate significantly exceeding that of the general population [5].”
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Cites
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Background
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Sorted by citations
Anxiety and coping strategies among nursing students during the covid-19 pandemic
Savitsky, B., Findling, Y., Ereli, A., & Hendel, T. (2020) · Nurse Education in Practice · doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102809 · Cited by 812
Alsoufi, A., Alsuyihili, A., Msherghi, A. A. A., Elhadi, A., Atiyah, H., Ashini, A., Ashwieb, A., Ghula, M., Hasan, H. B., Abudabuos, S., et al. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0242905 · Cited by 749
“8% of them experienced anxiety symptoms when the results were pooled [24].”
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Shao, R., He, P., Ling, B., Tan, L., Xu, L., Hou, Y., Kong, L., & Yang, Y. (2020) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-020-00402-8 · Cited by 422
“8%) estimated by a metaanalysis of 40,348 medical students across 69 studies [57].”
BackgroundEpidemiology of anxiety disorders: global burden and sociodemographic associations
Javaid, S. F., Hashim, I. J., Hashim, M. J., Stip, É., Samad, A., & Ahbabi, A. A. (2023) · Middle East Current Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s43045-023-00315-3 · Cited by 565
“The finding associated with the relationship between anxiety and urbanization is consistent with recent research evidence [1, 37].”
BackgroundResult
Metadata
- Authors
- Tian-Ci Quek, T., Wai-San Tam, W., X. Tran, B., Zhang, M., Zhang, Z., Su-Hui Ho, C., & Chun-Man Ho, R.
- Affiliations
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119007, Singapore
- Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119007, Singapore
- Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
- Huaibei Normal University (CN)
- Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore 119007, Singapore
- Corresponding author
- Zhang, Zhisong
- ORCID
- Venue
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2019-07-31
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 15
- Pages
- 2735
- ISSN
- 1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6696211
- OpenAlex
- W2965255255
- Cited by
- 990
- References
- 136
- Citations by year
- 2026: 141 · 2025: 130 · 2024: 186 · 2023: 165 · 2022: 174 · 2021: 124 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 16.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Rare & Special e-Zone (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) (submittedVersion)
- National University of Singapore (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- This study received funding from the National Social Science Fund (General Project of Education) (BBA170063)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Keywords
- anxiety, medical students, prevalence, risk factors, mental health, medical education, help-seeking, stigma, gender differences, year of study
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety, Humans, Risk Factors, Students, Medical, Global Health, Models, Statistical, Prevalence, Odds Ratio
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