Mental Health of Medical Students in Orleans: a Cohort Study of a New Faculty

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in depression, particularly among younger people. The French Health Barometer, conducted every 4-5 years by Santé Publique France (SPF), found that the prevalence of a major depressive disorder (MDD) among 18-25 years old doubled (from 11.7% to 20.8%) between 2017 and 2021. There has also been an increase in suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. Among students, data from the 2016 of observatoire de la vie étudiante (OVE) showed a higher prevalence of MDD and suicidal thoughts among students compared to the general population of the same age group. For medical students, a national study conducted in 2021 revealed rates of depression and suicidal thoughts far exceeding those of the general population of the same age. Financial difficulties were the main factor associated with the risk of depression. Indeed, students are a particularly vulnerable population to precariousness due to several factors. Economically, they often have limited income, relying on parental support, insufficient scholarships, or precarious jobs. This exposes them to difficulties in meeting essential needs such as housing, food, and healthcare. Socially, isolation can worsen their situation, especially when they move away from their family network or faced with academic pressure. Furthermore, high academic demands combined with unstable living conditions affect their mental health and may contribute to the development of psychiatric disorders, often untreated due to lack of resources or accessible care. This multidimensional precariousness highlights the need for comprehensive support for this population, especially since students rarely seek professional help. In the 2021 survey, only 32% of medical students suffering from depression received adequate care. To improve the health of medical students, it is therefore not enough to treat disorders; we must also prevent their onset by helping students achieve a state of well-being.

This a prospective, longitudinal, cohort study aims is to identify risk factors for depression among medical students by comparing them to students who completed their first year but did not enter in the medical program (students not accepted into the second year of medical school). The main objective of this study is to assess Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) using a validated tool : the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short-Form (CIDI-SF).

We will assess the 12-month prevalence of the main psychiatric disorders evaluated, dropout using a single question, and loneliness. Care utilization will be measured, as well as care avoidance and its causes, along with financial and social insecurity, educational satisfaction, and stigma. Additional variables or questionnaires may be added through protocol amendments. These measurements will be obtained through students filling out an online questionnaire. Quantitative analyses will be conducted, starting with univariate and then multivariate models, with adjustments for known confounding factors.

The plan is to inform each cohort of students at the Orléans University Hospital medical school for 10 years. It is estimated that 5,000 to 10,000 students will be able to participate in the study.

Each year, all medical students will be informed of the protocol at meetings at the University of Orléans at the start of the academic year in September regardless of their year of study (e.g. 1st year of medical study, 2nd, 3rd, 4th year of study etc…). The study will be offered each year to students entering PASS/LAS at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Orléans and to cohorts that have already begun their medical studies.