Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39968197›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychology2025

The prevalence of and the effect of global stressors on eating disorders among medical students.

Muneera B Almahmeed, Muna A Almutawa, Yahya M Naguib

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Time to Address Eating Disorder Risk Among Medical Students.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Muneera B AlmahmeedCollege of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Muna A AlmutawaCollege of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Yahya M NaguibPhysiology Department, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Eating disorders (EDs) are among the most serious forms of psychiatric illness, potentially leading to multi-systemic complications. Owing to their high stress levels, medical students are more likely to experience mental health difficulties that predispose them to developing EDs. Societal stigmatization and misinformation, especially in a middle eastern context, contribute to the underreporting and challenges in seeking the appropriate treatment at an early stage, increasing the risk of complications and mortality. EDs remain an under-studied phenomena in the middle east, limiting understanding and treatment options. Objective: The objectives of the current study were to assess the prevalence of EDs, potential contributing factors, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as an independent global stressor among medical students at the Arabian Gulf University. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of a three-part self-administered questionnaire comprising of demographic data, the Eating Attitudes-26 (EAT-26) test, and COVID-19 associated stressors. The study was conducted on medical students at the AGU in the preparatory year up to Year 6. Data was collected from September 2022 to February 2023. Results: Three hundred and ninety-seven students were recruited in the present study. 32.1% of the tested students demonstrated an elevated risk for developing EDs. Living situation, earlier years of study, and mental health status were significantly associated with increased risk. Response to global stressors such as COVID-19 pandemic was significantly correlated to worsening EDs status in high-risk individuals. Conclusion: Eating disorders have been discovered to be highly prevalent among medical students, which brings to light an undervalued health concern. This warrants both awareness programs on campus, and the development of individual-tailored eating disorder treatment programs to halt progression and increase overall quality of life and education.

Indexed as

behavioreating disordersglobal stressorsmedical studentsmental healthstress

Identifiers

PMID39968197
PMCPMC11832490

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.