Mental health, resilience, and substance use in first- and fifth-year Dental Students, Udelar

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and compare mental health indicators, psychological distress, and the prevalence of substance use between two independent student populations: first-year and fifth-year dental students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 140 students (98 first-year and 42 fifth-year). Sociodemographic questionnaires, self-perceived health status assessments, MULTICAGE-CAD4, the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), and the GHQ-12 were administered. All the statistical analyses were performed using a 5% significance level.

Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding geographical origin (p=0.559), resilience (p>0.05), or global mental health scores (p=0.724). However, each population exhibited a distinct risk profile. The first-year group reported significantly higher rates of frequent difficulties with attention and concentration (35% vs. 12%; p<0.001) and a higher prevalence of self-criticism regarding alcohol consumption, admitting they should drink less (19% vs. 2.4%; p=0.007). Conversely, the fifth-year population recorded a significantly higher prevalence of occasional use of other psychoactive substances (15% vs. 0%; p<0.001).

Conclusions: Both university populations exhibit similar levels of resilience and global psychological distress. Nevertheless, specific differences emerge depending on the academic year: the first-year group faces significantly greater attentional difficulties and higher self-criticism regarding alcohol, whereas occasional use of other psychoactive substances is a distinctive feature within the fifth-year group