Assessing psychological distress among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis of tools available

INTRODUCTION: Medical students are reported to experience high rates of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, stress, and suicide. However, there is no consensus on the tools used to detect these symptoms. This systematic review aims to explore the various tools available for assessing distress in medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted following an established protocol. Articles were included if they addressed anxiety, stress, or psychological distress in medical students and used validated assessment tools translated into English. A meta-analysis was also conducted on the prevalence of stress and anxiety. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-one articles were included, identifying 22 different tools. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale was the most commonly used tool (21.7%), followed by the General Health Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale (14.7%). Only two of the identified tools, the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (5.4%) and the Perceived Medical School Stress (3.9%), were specifically designed for medical students. The meta-analysis revealed a stress prevalence of 47.5% and an anxiety prevalence of 44.6%. CONCLUSION: There are multiple tools available for assessing psychological distress that are already widely used. The use of a specific questionnaire may not be necessary for this population, as tools designed for the general population can also be used for this specific group. However, specific questionnaires may provide a more accurate indication of the causal factors that require action.