A Cross-Sectional Study on Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Egyptian Medical Students

February 20, 2025 updated by: Ahmed Saad Elsaeidy, Benha University

Breaking the Silence: A Cross-Sectional Study on Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Egyptian Medical Students

High levels of mental distress were reported among medical students; however, only a small portion decided to seek help. This study aims to identify the most diagnosed mental disorders among medical students in Egypt, recognising their family attitudes and the major barriers that deter them from seeking help. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on Egyptian medical students.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Detailed Description

Study design A multicenter cross-sectional study across Egypt was conducted among Egyptian medical students via different social media platforms of the Egyptian faculties of medicine.

Study population Data collection Young adult medical students aged 18 to 25 in the different Egyptian faculties of medicine and from different medical class years were eligible to participate. During the recruitment of the participants, we used convenience and snowball sampling techniques. The online survey and data collection took place from April to June 2022.

Sample Size Calculation The sample size was calculated using the equation (n = [Z2 × P (1-P)] ÷ e2) [14] Under a 95% Confidence level (Z=1.96), 50% response distribution (P=0.5) and confidence interval (e=3), a sample of 1067 participants were required.

Measurements The participants were presented with an online and self-administered questionnaire including 27-item barriers mentioned in the 30-item Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE) scale [15]. Each questionnaire consisted of 4 sections: the first was assessing the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants. The second was assessing the presence of previously diagnosed mental disorders. The third was the 27-item BACE survey including 9 items for the stigma, 10 for the altitudinal barriers, 6 for instrumental barriers, and 2 work-related items preceded by a question if the student works or not; the 2 items of work were reallocated from the stigma and instrumental sections, based on the assumption that only small portion of the medical students has an occupation. The last segment was family-related yes-or-no questions assessing the family attitude towards mental health (by asking if they know mental health's importance if they recognize it as important as physical health and their support in the presence of mental health problems) and the presence or absence of previous familial suicidal attempts.

Data analysis Data were analysed using SPSS version 25. The internal consistency of the survey was determined using Cronbach's α. The internal consistency of the overall 27-item scale (stigma, attitudinal, instrumental, and working-beside-education barriers) was of good reliability (α = 0.904). We used the frequency and percentage to summarise the categorical data but mean and standard division to summarise the total effect of each domain. The Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and odds ratio (OR) were carried out on categorical data. The three-point Likert scale was used to determine whether the barrier is considered not a barrier, a minor barrier, or a major barrier using Likert intervals (0, 0.67, 1.34, 2). A P-value of ≤ 0.05 is considered significant.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

1037

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

      • Banhā, Egypt
        • Benha University
      • Benha, Egypt, 13511
        • Benha University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Young adult medical students aged 18 to 25 in the different Egyptian faculties of medicine and from different medical class years were eligible to participate

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Young adult medical students aged 18 to 25 in the different Egyptian faculties of medicine and from different medical class years were eligible to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

not Young adult medical students aged 18 to 25 in the different Egyptian faculties of medicine and from different medical class years were eligible to participate

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Egyptian medical students
Young adult medical students aged 18 to 25 in the different Egyptian faculties of medicine and from different medical class years were eligible to participate. During the recruitment of the participants, we used convenience and snowball sampling techniques.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE) scale
Time Frame: data collection took place from April to June 2022
The participants were presented with an online and self-administered questionnaire including 27-item barriers mentioned in the 30-item Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE) scale
data collection took place from April to June 2022

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 25, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 21, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

July 23, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 17, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 20, 2025

Last Verified

February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RC 5-3-2022

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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