ArticleHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Mental Health of Medical Students in Portugal: The Role of Sexual Orientation.
Article in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesDepression and burnout are common among medical students, leading to serious academic and professional consequences. LGBTQ+ students are especially vulnerable to mental health issues. This study aims to help understand the associations between sexual orientation and distress levels among Portuguese medical students.
methodsAn observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted with participants from Portuguese medical schools. Data collection took place between 2022 and 2025 through electronic questionnaires. Assessment tools included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Student Survey. Statistical significance was set at
resultsThe sample included 1668 (83.2%) heterosexual students and 336 (16.8%) LGBTQ+ students. The rates of depression and anxiety were 43.2% and 25.7%, respectively. LGBTQ+ students reported more difficulties in personal, academic, social, and financial areas and showed higher levels of distress than heterosexual students. Key factors linked to distress included burnout, social support, and grade satisfaction. Additionally, burnout, low-grade satisfaction, and substance abuse were associated with anxiety and depression levels differently depending on sexual orientation.
conclusionsThis study's findings confirm higher distress levels among the LGBTQ+ group compared to the heterosexual group, helping us identify students who are more vulnerable to developing mental illness and prompting us to reconsider which aspects of medical training and culture contribute to this distress.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.