Changes in mental health status and sources of stress in dental students of Islamic Azad University, Tehran

Dental schools are known to be highly demanding and stressful learning environments that may affect the mental health of dental students. Stressors in dental schools are reported to be from different sources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate mental health and sources of stress among dental students in two different time intervals. This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on two groups of clinical dental students at different time spans. In first and second group، 301 and 395 students were evaluated، respectively. General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used in this study to assess mental status. Dental Environment Stress Questionnaire (DES) was also used to determine the stressors. Related factors such as personal characteristics and social factors were assessed. Data were analyzed using Chi-squer test. In the first group، 301 students (209 female and 92 male) with mean age of 23. 6±1. 9 and in the second group 395 students (290 female and 105 male) with mean age of 24. 2±2. 2 participated. In first and second group 60% and 56% had some degrees of psychological disorders، respectively. The most common stressors in the first group were faculty and administration، financial problems and work load. In the second group، the most common stressors were work load، faculty and administration، clinical procedures and professional future. Regarding the considerable incidence of mental involvement and distress among the students، it is recommended that faculty and administration authorities take action to reduce or adjust the stressors.