ISSN 0303-5212
 

Original Research 
RMJ. 2015; 40(4): 458-462


Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem.

Abstract
Objective: To determine the frequency of suicidal ideation, its risk factors and clinical Manifestation in Pakistani Medical Students.
Methods: Cross Sectional Study; carried-out through a self-made questionnaire having 22 items was administered among medical students of eight colleges, all over Pakistan. Students were selected through consecutive non-probability sampling. The data obtained was analyzed by SPSS version 21.
Results: Out of the total sample size of 1132, 47.9% were male and 52.1% were female. Of the 49.2% were in pre-clinical year (1st and 2nd year) and 50.8% were in clinical years (3rd, 4th and 5th year). About 6.8% of the medical student had suicidal ideation and 9.5% had the desire to harm themselves. Majority of the medical students (82.7%) choose medical profession by their will; 62.5% were found out to be fully satisfied by their medical college. In effects of stress, irritability, inability to sleep, fatigue, depression, decrease appetite, headache, feeling of anger, desire to harm oneself, fainting spells/dizziness/blackouts, feeling of being unworthy, thoughts of leaving medical education, fighting with others were found to be significantly(p <0.05) associated with suicidal thoughts.

Conclusion: A significant percentage of medical students were found to have suicidal ideation. Medical students who joined medical colleges without their free will or whose parents were unable to afford medical education or students having significant past or family history of depression and anxiety or having significant health problem or having poor interaction with their family members had a significantly greater risk of having suicidal ideation.

Key words: Suicide, medical student, medical education, suicidal ideation


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem. Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students. RMJ. 2015; 40(4): 458-462.


Web Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem. Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students. https://www.rmj.org.pk/?mno=187337 [Access: December 04, 2023].


AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem. Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students. RMJ. 2015; 40(4): 458-462.



Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem. Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students. RMJ. (2015), [cited December 04, 2023]; 40(4): 458-462.



Harvard Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem (2015) Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students. RMJ, 40 (4), 458-462.



Turabian Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem. 2015. Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students. Rawal Medical Journal, 40 (4), 458-462.



Chicago Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem. "Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students." Rawal Medical Journal 40 (2015), 458-462.



MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem. "Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students." Rawal Medical Journal 40.4 (2015), 458-462. Print.



APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Haider Ghazanfar, Saad Hameed, Ali Ghazanfar, Joshua Rahat Aleman Bhatti, Ibad ul Haq, Rafeh Saeed, Muhammad Saeed Shafi, Ashraf Hussain, Arshad Javaid, Sajida Naseem (2015) Suicidal ideation among Pakistani medical students. Rawal Medical Journal, 40 (4), 458-462.