Understanding the Mental Health of Canadian Physician Assistant Students
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Date
2024-05-15
Authors
Berrington, Lauren
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Abstract
The mental health of medical students has been well studied, revealing significant rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout. Despite the similarities in training, limited research has been done to understand the mental health of Physician Assistant (PA) students. This study investigates the mental health of first- and second-year PA students across Canadian training programs. Eligible students at the three Canadian PA programs received a recruitment email providing a link to a confidential survey hosted on REDCap. Participants provided non-identifying demographic information and completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Student version (MBI-GS(S)). Additional questions covered previous mental health history and coping styles. Seventy-three students completed the survey (response rate of 43.4%). One-third had seen a health professional in the past 12 months for mental health. Depression, anxiety, and burnout symptoms were prevalent. GAD-7 varied significantly between schools (higher at University of Manitoba vs McMaster University), and marginally between academic year (higher in first years). Positive correlations were found among PHQ-9, GAD-7, and burnout subscales. Maladaptive coping mechanisms were associated with higher anxiety, depression, and burnout, while adaptive coping positively correlated with PE burnout subscale. No significant differences in PHQ-9 or MBI-GS(S) were found between academic years or programs. As the PA profession continues to expand in Canada, understanding the prevalence of anxiety, depression and burnout is crucial. Improving PA student mental health should be a priority for education programs to promote a healthy workforce and develop a foundation for further research.