Adjustment disorder among first year medical students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2020

The general health and well-being of medical students has become a matter of concern, as medical students have higher levels of stress than their nonmedical peers. Long-standing stress may lead to serious outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, poor quality of life, or adjustment disorders. This study aimed to estimate the proportion of first year medical students who have adjustment disorder and explore possible risk factors.

This cross-sectional study was conducted among all first-year medical students at King Saud University, College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia. The adjustment disorder-new model 20 (ADNM-20) was used to assess adjustment disorder with the stressor and item lists. The item list scores were summed and a cutoff point >47.5 was designated as a high risk of developing the disorder. Descriptive analysis included computing mean and standard deviation for continuous variable while frequency and percentages for categorical variables. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis determined risk factors for having an adjustment disorder and the stress of attending a medical school.

The study enrolled 267 students but only 128 completed the ADNM-20 survey. Out of 267 students, the most commonly reported recent stressor was too much/too little work, and 52.8% reported having difficulty in meeting deadlines. The most common core symptom expressed by the medical students was avoidance behavior with a mean score of 10.91 ± 3.12, followed by preoccupation with stressors with a mean score of 10.66 ± 3.10. The factors significantly associated with having adjustment disorder were being female, younger age, recent illness of a loved one, having family conflicts, and having too much or too little work.

First year medical students are at increased risk of adjustment disorder. Screening and awareness programs may be considered for preventing adjustment disorder. Increased student-staff interactions may provide support to adapt to their new environment and help reduce social adjustment difficulties.