Psychological distress and risk of diabetes among medical students: A cross sectional study

Medical students are affected both psychologically and physically due to the change in environment for most from home to the hostel and the extensive undergraduate curriculum. This study was undertaken to assess psychological distress and measure surrogate markers of the physical health risk score in a medical college in South India.

The study group included three batches of medical students, from first to third year. Along with anthropometric measurements and a questionnaire on personal history, the Indian Diabetic Risk Score (IDRS), and the Kessler's psychological distress scale based on K10 questions were applied and assessed for each participant.

There were gender differences in the association of IDRS with physical activity, Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Hip Ratio (WHR), and sleep. More than one-third of medical students had various psychological distress grades (40%) and were at risk of developing diabetes (36.7%). There was a significant difference in the K10 scores (p = 0.000) among the three groups, with the first-year students showing maximum psychological distress.

A large number of medical students undergo psychological distress and also are at risk for developing Diabetes Mellitus. Long-term cohort studies are needed to assess the effect of such stress on medical students.