Factores de riesgo que influyen en la salud mental de los estudiantes de la Carrera de Medicina de la Universidad de Cuenca, 2024 – 2025

Abstract

Mental health is a global concern and a public health problem due to the increase in psychological disorders, especially in medical students. Factors such as academic load, exams, exposure to stressful clinical situations and professional expectations affect their wellbeing. These risks are associated with mental disorders, altered habits and consumption of psychoactive substances. The objective of this research was to analyze the risk factors that influence mental health in students of the University of Cuenca Medical School, 2024-2025. A quantitative cross-sectional cohort study was carried out with students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Cuenca. The data were processed in IBM SPSS version 29, applying descriptive and inferential statistics by means of cross tables and chi-square or p-value tests. According to the results of the research, students presented high levels of anxiety (56.8%) and depression (41.2%), with 42.3% at risk of mental disorders according to the GHQ-12 questionnaire. The main risk factors were academic overload, feeling of inadequacy, psychological violence at home (53.8%), mistreatment in practice areas (27%), excessive internet use (69.6%) and lack of physical activity (69.6%). Although substance use was low (5.9%), alcohol predominated. In conclusion, the main risk factors are academic stress, violence and excessive use of the Internet. The relationships between sociodemographic, academic and lifestyle variables show a high vulnerability to mental disorders.