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Review
. 2019 Jul 31;16(15):2735.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16152735.

The Global Prevalence of Anxiety Among Medical Students: A Meta-Analysis

Travis Tian-Ci Quek  1   2 , Wilson Wai-San Tam  3 , Bach X Tran  4   5   6 , Min Zhang  7 , Zhisong Zhang  8 , Cyrus Su-Hui Ho  9 , Roger Chun-Man Ho  1   2   10   11
Affiliations
Review

The Global Prevalence of Anxiety Among Medical Students: A Meta-Analysis

Travis Tian-Ci Quek et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Anxiety, although as common and arguably as debilitating as depression, has garnered less attention, and is often undetected and undertreated in the general population. Similarly, anxiety among medical students warrants greater attention due to its significant implications. We aimed to study the global prevalence of anxiety among medical students and the associated factors predisposing medical students to anxiety. In February 2019, we carried out a systematic search for cross-sectional studies that examined the prevalence of anxiety among medical students. We computed the aggregate prevalence and pooled odds ratio (OR) using the random-effects model and used meta-regression analyses to explore the sources of heterogeneity. We pooled and analyzed data from sixty-nine studies comprising 40,348 medical students. The global prevalence rate of anxiety among medical students was 33.8% (95% Confidence Interval: 29.2-38.7%). Anxiety was most prevalent among medical students from the Middle East and Asia. Subgroup analyses by gender and year of study found no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of anxiety. About one in three medical students globally have anxiety-a prevalence rate which is substantially higher than the general population. Administrators and leaders of medical schools should take the lead in destigmatizing mental illnesses and promoting help-seeking behaviors when students are stressed and anxious. Further research is needed to identify risk factors of anxiety unique to medical students.

Keywords: anxiety; anxious; medical education; medical school; medical students; meta-analysis; prevalence; review; student doctors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram illustrating the search and selection process of a March 2019 systematic review of the literature on prevalence of anxiety among medical students. a One article (El-Gilany, 2008) reported two studies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of studies (n = 69) examining the prevalence of anxiety among medical students (n = 40,348). 95% CI: = 95% confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of studies (n = 8) comparing the prevalence of anxiety between medical and non-medical students.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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