The Global Prevalence of Suicidal Attempt among Medical Students: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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The Global Prevalence of Suicidal Attempt among Medical Students: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Light Tsegay 1 & Mebratu Abraha 2 & Getinet Ayano 3,4
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract
Even though suicidal attempt among medical students is a major public health concern, there are no prior studies that reported its consolidated magnitude worldwide. To the best of our knowledge, this systematic review is the first to quantitatively analyze the prevalence of suicidal attempts among medical students. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for English language articles that assessed the prevalence of suicide attempts among medical students. A random-effect meta-analysis was used to combine data from individual studies. The heterogeneity across the studies was evaluated using Cochran’s Q- and the I2 test. We assessed publication bias using Egger’s test and visual inspection of the symmetry in funnel plots. A total of 14 articles were selected for meta-analysis according to the PRISMA guideline. The pooled lifetime prevalence of suicidal attempt was found to be 2.19% (95% CI; 1.17–4.07). The pooled one-year prevalence was estimated to be 1.64 (95% CI; 0.60–4.45). The estimated prevalence of suicidal attempt was considerably high among medical studies in low and middle-income countries than medical studies in high-income countries. The estimated prevalence of suicidal attempt also varies by gender of participants Given the high prevalence estimate of suicidal attempt among medical students and its potential in resulting death by suicide, early identification, and interventions should be considered among medical students. Keywords Prevalence . Suicidal attempt . Medical students . Systematic review . Meta-analysis
* Light Tsegay [email protected] Mebratu Abraha [email protected] Getinet Ayano [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
Psychiatric Quarterly
Background Suicidal attempt among medical students is a major global public health concern [1, 2]. Suicide contributes yearly to 1.4% of the global burden of disease and it is the second leading cause of death worldwide for individuals aged 15–29 years [1, 3]. Research evidence shows that suicide affects people from all strata of life and it is the second leading cause of death among college students and responsible for 19% of all deaths for this population [4]. Each year as many as 1100 students die from suicide [5]. The estimated prevalence of suicidal attempts among medical students, which commonly results in death from suicide, is common and varies across the studies. For example, a 2010 study that assessed suicide behavior among medical students in Austria and Turkey found a lifetime prevalence of suicidal attempt 2.2 and 5.8% among students in Austria and Turkey respectively [6]. In another cross-sectional a study conducted in Pakistan, the lifetime prevalence of suicidal attempts among medical students was found to be 4.8%% [7]. More
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