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Mental health in physiotherapy students: A nationwide study
Mathilde Jacquot1, Tanguy Lallement2, Romain Colle3
1Institut Lorrain de Formation en Masso Kinésithérapie (ILFMK), Université de Nancy, 57 Bis Rue de Nabécor, 54000 Nancy, France; Université Grenoble Alpes, 621, Av. Centrale, 38400 Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France.
Introduction:
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in young adults increased with the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of mental disorders among physiotherapy students increased. Our study aimed to present the results on the mental health status of physiotherapy students in France since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
An online cross-sectional survey was performed between October 1st 2023 and November 5th 2023. Anonymous questionnaires were sent to physiotherapy students via academic emails by all physiotherapy schools in France. We assessed the prevalence of depressive symptoms, generalised anxiety symptoms, burnout, eating disorder symptoms, 12-month major depressive disorder and 12-month suicidal ideation, humiliation, sexual harassment, and sexual assaults. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation.
Results:
Among the 12,568 physiotherapy students, 1280 responded (response rate: 10.2%) and were included. The prevalences of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, eating disorder symptoms, 12-month major depressive disorder, and 12-month suicidal ideation were 25%, 23%, 21%, 11% and 11%, respectively. Humiliation, sexual harassment and sexual aggression were reported by 19%, 1.8% and 0.7%, respectively. In multivariable analyses, curriculum year and sexual violence were associated with higher rates of major depressive episodes and suicidal ideation.
Conclusion:
This survey is the first to be carried out on French physiotherapy students at a distance from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It revealed a high prevalence of various mental issues. The results of this survey highlighted the urgent need for action to improve the mental health of physiotherapy students in France.
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