Anxiety, Suicidal Risk and Personal Characteristics of Medical Students

Abstract

Background. The prevalence of anxiety, depression, personality traits and poor quality of life among medical students contributes to the formation of suicidal behaviorAims. To reveal the relationship between the severity of anxiety, hopelessness, personality traits and suicidal risk in students of Irkutsk State Medical University.Material and methods. The study included third-year students of the medical faculty of Irkutsk State Medical University (n = 61), average age – 19.7 ± 2.2 years. We used Spielberger – Khanin and Sheehan scales of self-assessment of the anxiety level, the personality questionnaire of Smisek – Mueller “Accent 2-90”, and Beck’s hopelessness scale.Results. According to the results of testing on the Spielberger – Khanin scale, the severity of reactive anxiety reached moderate values in 57.3 % of students, severe anxiety was found in 32.8 %, the absence of anxiety – in 9.8 %. Personal anxiety on the Spielberger – Khanin scale was characterized by moderate values in 52.5 % of cases, severe anxiety was found in 45.9 %, the absence of anxiety – in 1.6 %. Moderate and high values of reactive and personal anxiety were significantly more common compared to the students with no anxiety. According to the psychometric assessment of students using Sheehan scale, clinically expressed anxiety was observed in 47.5 % of cases, severe anxiety disorder – in 4.9 %, lack of anxiety – in 47.5 %. The personality traits of students with anxiety include hyperthymia, excitability, dysthymia, cyclothymia, introversion and exaltation.Нopelessness in students was detected in 27.9 % of cases (mild – in 16.4 %, moderate – in 9.8 %, severe – in 1.6 %). Тhe criterion of hopelessness was detected with pronounced situational and personal anxiety in comparison with moderately pronounced anxiety using Spielberger – Khanin scale (50 % and 39.3 % respectively); expressed and severe anxiety was detected in 51.7 % and 66.7 % of cases on the Sheehan scale.The personality traits of students with hopelessness included stuckness, pedantry (standard level and level above average); cyclothymia in the form of unstable mood; demonstrativeness; excitability (normative level); dysthymia in the form of attempts to deny difficulties; exaltation (average level); introverted personality direction.Conclusion. Determination of factors of suicidal risk is important in the prevention of suicidal behavior among medical students.