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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1496248
This article is part of the Research Topic Mental Health Challenges in Health Professions Education View all 4 articles

A cross-sectional study of the current status of psychological health and its correlation with academic performance in medical students: taking medical students in a medical university in China as examples

Provisionally accepted
Chunhong Han Chunhong Han 1*Jingjing Ding Jingjing Ding 2*Huan He Huan He 3*Peiyao Zheng Peiyao Zheng 4*Xiaona Zhang Xiaona Zhang 5*Xiaowen Yang Xiaowen Yang 6*Aiming Zheng Aiming Zheng 7*
  • 1 School of Education Science of Nanjing Normal University (ED.D); Department of Teaching Management of Nanjing Medical University, nanjing, China
  • 2 Medical Education Institution of Nanjing Medical University, nanjing, China
  • 3 Student Affairs Department of Nanjing Medical University, nanjing, China
  • 4 School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • 5 School of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
  • 6 nanjing medical university library, Nanjing, China
  • 7 Psychological Health Education and Counseling Center of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The psychological health problems are becoming increasingly prominent among medical students under the heavy academic stress and highintensity clinical internships. This study examines the psychological health of medical students in a Chinese university and its impact on academic performance, aiming to inform targeted interventions. Methods: 2022 undergraduate and postgraduates from an independent medical university in Eastern China were selected to score using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation(BSSI); and the total grade point averages (GPAs) of 2022 undergraduates in the first and second academic years were determined to analyze the main psychological influencing factors.The general survey of 2022 new medical students at admission showed that the various scores of postgraduates were higher than those of undergraduates. After two semesters, the percentage of students scored higher in unhealthy psychology indicators was increased in both postgraduates and undergraduates, but the differences between two groups were decreased. Analysis of the first and second-year academic performances of 2022 undergraduates revealed that assessment scores of PHQ-9, PSS, ISI, and BSSI had a correlation with the total GPA. However, no correlation was found between the GAD-7 values and the GPA. The PHQ-9 scores and major categories were identified as independent factors influencing the average GPA.The undergraduates face significant challenges in depression, anxiety, insomnia, and perceived stress, and these have negative effects on their academic performances; in particular, the depressive symptoms (β1-2=-0.25,p＜0.01) and perceived stress(β2=0.66，p＜0.01) can significantly reduce their academic performances. In contrast, the psychological health statuses in the postgraduates tend to deteriorate as the semester progress.

    Keywords: Medical students, current status of mental health, academic performance, Depression, Perceived stress scale

    Received: 14 Sep 2024; Accepted: 14 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Han, Ding, He, Zheng, Zhang, Yang and Zheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Chunhong Han, School of Education Science of Nanjing Normal University (ED.D); Department of Teaching Management of Nanjing Medical University, nanjing, China
    Jingjing Ding, Medical Education Institution of Nanjing Medical University, nanjing, China
    Huan He, Student Affairs Department of Nanjing Medical University, nanjing, China
    Peiyao Zheng, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
    Xiaona Zhang, School of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China
    Xiaowen Yang, nanjing medical university library, Nanjing, China
    Aiming Zheng, Psychological Health Education and Counseling Center of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China

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