Somatic Symptom Disorder among medical students in Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: A somatic symptom disorder (SSD) occurs when a person feels extreme, exaggerated anxiety about physical symptoms that results in major distress and/or problems of functioning. Objective: This study aims to screen somatic symptom disorder among medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on medical students during the academic year 2019/2020. 374 medical students were recruited for this study. Self administered questionnaire was used to collect the data including two sections; socio-demographic information and Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8) questions. Results: Out of 374 students, 206 (55.1%) were males, 292 (78.1%) were from the clinical years (Years 4-6), 353 (94.4%) were singles, 71 (19.0%) were smokers, 83 (22.2%) had social stressors and 88 (23.5%) had educational problems. On considering only the high SSS-8 total risk scores, the prevalence of SSD is estimated to be 39% (20.3% had very high and 18.7% had high risk). Feeling tired or having low energy was the most prevalent symptom. Female students and students having social stressors and educational problems were more vulnerable to have SSD. Conclusions: There is high prevalence of SSD among our medical students. Accordingly, health education programs and frequent mentoring of the students are highly recommended. Key words: somatic, symptom, disorder, medical students