Study of suicidal thoughts and intentions with regard to job stress among female medical students living in dormitory with a mental health promotion approach

Medical students are exposed to stresses which have irreversible consequences, such as suicidal ideation. The present study aimed to investigate the level of occupational stress in medical students and its relationship with the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attention among them and then provide mental health promotion approaches.

This cross‑sectional descriptive study was performed on 325 undergraduate medical students residing at the dormitory of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was determined by the census method. Osipow and Suicide Behaviors Questionnaires were used to measure job stress and suicidal ideation, respectively. The condition of entry into the study was living in the dormitory and spent at least one semester. Linear regression and logistic regression were used to examine the relationship between variables.

The mean score of occupational stress among students with a mean age of 21 (±2.18) years was 158.84 (±27.07) and 60% (n = 180) of students had high levels of stress. There was a significant relationship between age and educational level with stress level and suicidal ideation (P < 0.05). They had the highest effect on stress (P = 0.031) and suicidal ideation (P = 0.001), respectively, among students. High level of stress was 11.829 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than low‑stress level (P < 0.001).

Stress and suicidal ideation are much higher in students of lower semesters and lower ages than students with higher semesters. Students should learn how and with what approach to control and manage exposure to stressors. Measures such as holding stress management training courses as well as managing stressful situations are among the effective measures in improving mental health and reducing stress levels and its effects.