Evaluation of the Mental Health of Post-Graduate Residents Using the SCL-90 Questionnaire

Considering that post-graduate residents are directly connected to the physical and mental health of diverse populations within society, evaluating and monitoring their mental health could improve the overall health level of societies. This study aimed to evaluate the mental health of post-graduate residents of the Mashhad Dental School in the academic year of 2019-2020.

This study was conducted as a descriptive-analytical investigation that involved distributing  SCL-90 questionnaires among post-graduate residents at the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The questionnaires were provided in both paper and online formats. The mental health state of each participant was assessed based on the scores they received in four categories: no mental disorder (0-0.99), mild mental disorder (1-1.99), moderate mental disorder (2-2.99), and severe mental disorder (3-3.99). The collected data was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests with the aid of the software SPSS (version 20).

A total of 82 questionnaires were completed by the residents and analyzed. According to the total score, 29.3% (24 subjects) of the post-graduate residents reported having some degree of mental disorder: 28% (23 subjects) reported having a minor disorder, and 1.2% one subject) reported a moderate disorder, and no residents with serious disorders. The average score of mental disorder of the residents was 0.48±0.77. The SCL-90 dimension obsessive-compulsive was the highest at 48.8% and the dimension morbid fear was only 11%. In this study, no significant relationship was observed between any of the variables of marital status, major, or entry year with the total mental health score (P<0.05).

According to the results of the research, about one-third of the specialty residents of the Mashhad Dental School suffer from some kind of mental disorder.