Analyzing Mental Health among Pre-health Students 

Presenter

Shrushti Jagtap

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Ashley Woodman, Department of Psychology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 5, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A72, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 4 (A61-A80) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

The healthcare field can be a demanding area. Many healthcare providers struggle with burnout, especially during COVID-19, where stress and depression among healthcare workers were the highest, as recent studies have shown. Healthcare providers may not seek the help they need, leading to mental health problems which can further result in poor patient care. At an extreme, unsupported mental health challenges can result in suicide, which is more prevalent among healthcare workers than the general population. The project aims to analyze the mental health of pre-health students. An online survey will be conducted to pre-screen participants for age, education status, work experience, and mental health diagnoses. Those who are a pre-health major, have a healthcare occupation, and are not diagnosed with a mental illness will be asked to participate in an interview. Data will be collected from ~30 college-aged students. Participants will describe their mental well-being in academics and at their jobs. They will then be asked whether they utilize services provided by the university or the community. College students are expected to indicate that their mental health has been affected due to academic and job stress. Additionally, it is hypothesized that students will not utilize resources to their full ability. These findings may support the idea that college students are impacted by stress due to academics and patient-care experience, but are not seeking sufficient resources to manage their stress. The findings will highlight the issues students face with pursuing a healthcare-related field and the importance of seeking out help as soon as possible.

Keywords

pre-health, depression, anxiety, healthcare

Research Area

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

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