ArticleBMC medical education2022
Perspectives on mental health services for medical students at a Ugandan medical school.
Article in BMC medical education, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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6 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Moderately positive educational environment with opportunities for improvement: a national study of Ethiopian medical schools using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), 2024.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Mental health patterns and associated social determinants among university and college students in sub-Saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic era: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Addressing medical students' health challenges: codesign and pilot testing of the Preventive Remediation for Optimal MEdical StudentS (PROMESS) program.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Artificial intelligence significantly facilitates development in the mental health of college students: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Barriers to mental health service utilisation among medical students in Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
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Abstract
backgroundUniversity-based mental health services for medical students remain a challenge, particularly in low-income countries, due to poor service availability. Prior studies have explored the availability of mental health services in high-income countries but little is known about mental health services in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Uganda. Medical students are at a higher risk of developing mental health challenges during their course of study as compared with other students. Thus, there is a need for well-structured mental health services for this group of students. The aim of this study was to explore perspectives on mental health services for medical students at a public University in Uganda.
methodsThis was a qualitative study where key informant interviews were conducted among purposively selected university administrators (n = 4), student leaders (n = 4), and mental health employees of the university (n = 3), three groups responsible for the mental well-being of medical students at a public university in Uganda. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed to identify relevant themes.
resultsThe working experience of university administrators and mental health providers was between eight months to 20 years, while student leaders had studied at the university for over four years. We identified five broad themes: (1) Burden of medical school: A curriculum of trauma, (2) Negative coping mechanisms and the problem of blame, (3) The promise of services: Mixed Messages, (4) A broken mental health system for students, and (5) Barriers to mental health services.
conclusionDistinguishing between psychological distress that is anticipated because of the subject matter in learning medicine and identifying those students that are suffering from untreated psychiatric disorders is an important conceptual task for universities. This can be done through offering education about mental health and well-being for administrators, giving arm's length support for students, and a proactive, not reactive, approach to mental health. There is also a need to redesign the medical curriculum to change the medical education culture through pedagogical considerations of how trauma informs the learning and the mental health of students.
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