SynthesisBMC medical education2026
Assessing psychological distress among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis of tools available.
Synthesis in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Perceived Stress and Subjective Happiness in Medical Students Before and After a Wellness Speaker Session.Cureus · 2026Article
- Mapping the Multidimensional Stress Burden in Nursing Students: A Systematic Review and Instrument-Specific Meta-Analysis.Nursing research and practice · 2026Review
- Social media use motives and academic performance among Saudi medical students: the mediating role of perceived stress.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionMedical 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
methodsA 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.
resultsOne 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%.
conclusionThere 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.
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Registered trials
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