Comparative Evaluation of Microhardness of Hydrophilic Sealant and Flowable Composite on Permanent Molars- in vitro Study

Younger adulthood is defined as an identity-forming period in which people experience changes in their physical and social selves as well as in several domains related to behavior, emotion, reproduction, socioeconomic status and education [1]. Anxiety levels in the community are considered important indicators of mental health [2] Medical school students' cognitive functioning and learning may suffer from high levels of stress, which is a common perception of medical education [3]. Numerous studies have focused on medical students' mental health since it is thought that this is a critical period of psychological challenge for aspiring physicians [4]. Certain aspects of the training may unintentionally harm the participants' mental and emotional health. According to those studies, the prevalence of psychological disorders like anxiety is rising among medical students [5]. Family history of depression, low parental warmth, parental loss before age 18, disturbed family environment and history of conduct disorder are considered as risk factors for anxiety [6].

The American Psychological Association states that the symptoms of anxiety and stress include mental tension, bodily strain and worried thoughts. Anxiety is more linked to situational issues, skeletal muscle tension and autonomic activation, while stress is more linked to impatience and trouble relaxing [7]. The American Psychological Association (APA) states that women are more likely than men to be impacted [8].

Higher education students are likely to encounter various difficult situations during their studies and they frequently have to handle these situations on their own [9]. Research findings indicate that there is a higher prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression among medical professionals compared to the general and non-medical populations [10]. The mental health of aspiring physicians is a crucial concern that warrants careful consideration. Enhancements to medical education, restructuring of current mental health services according to student demand and monitoring of high-risk individuals could all contribute to the preservation and enhancement of mental health [11]. Academic anxiety decreases self-expression, student’s fluency, pronunciation accuracy and overall confidence in oral communication [12]. Accordingly, our study tries to answer the following research questions:

• What are the distribution and degree of anxiety among medical students in the College of Medicine at Northern Border University?
• Is there any significant difference in the anxiety status based on gender and/or academic level variables?

Moreover, our study aims to draw the attention of decision-makers to the importance of mental health among medical students and to the limit of available data, this study will be the first study to examine the anxiety among medical students in College of Medicine at Northern Border University.

Participants (sample) A quantitative cross-sectional study among male and female medical students in the College of Medicine, bachelor’s Degree of Medicine and Surgery program at Northern Border University. We excluded students outside Northern Border University, Non-medical students and medical students in programs other than the bachelor’s degree of Medicine and Surgery. The study lasted 6 months. Instrument Data were collected through an online questionnaire. This questionnaire was distributed directly by the researcher through a google form link and QR code. The questionnaire starts with an introductory section to describe the aim of the study for the subjects of the sample of the study. Then, the questionnaire consists of two parts; the first part includes demographic information, such as gender, age, study year and grade point average (GPA), while the second part includes the self-reporting Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) which consists of 21 questions. Reliability and Validity This scale was developed of 21 self-reported inventory questions for measuring the severity of anxiety in populations. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) showed high internal consistency (at = 0.92) and test-retest reliability over 1 week, r (81) = 0.75 [13]. The BAI discriminated anxious diagnostic groups (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, etc.) from non-anxious diagnostic groups (major depression, dysthymic disorder, etc). In addition, the BAI was moderately correlated with the revised Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, r (150) = 0.51[14]. Ethics Approval of Research Northern Border University's decision no. (73-24-H), dated May 6, 2024, granted ethical clearance for the study after it was requested from the College of Medicine's Ethical Committee (HAP-09-A-043). Sample Size and Data Analysis An estimated 305 medical students of both sexes from Northern Border University's College of Medicine made up the sample using the Raosoft sample size calculator [15]. Data was analyzed using SPSS (version 26). Testing the association was by Chi Square test. Qualitative variables were represented as percentages and numbers (mean, Frequency.. etc.) and showed them in the figures. The chi-square test is used to determine if there is a significant association between categorical variables. For example, it can help assess whether education level is related to the prevalence of anxiety among medical students. P value less than 0.05 is significant.