Mental health status of entrance students in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from the national university entrance exam in the academic year 2014-2015

Introduction: Psychological disorders have created many problems for students as the most prestigious and chosen sectors of society and have greatly affected students’ academic performance and also disturb their mental, emotional and social developments. This study was conducted to determine the mental health of entrance students in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from the national university entrance exam in the academic year 20142015. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 973 first year students (340 males and 633 females) from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 22. Results:The prevalence of mental disorders among students was 12.2%. This ratio was 11.8% in men and 12.5% in women. There was a significant correlation between students’ mental health and gender as well as the place of study variable (P 0.05). Also, the students of the Health and Paramedics Faculties had the highest rate of disorder or suspected impairment. There was no significant relationship between mental health and native status, marital status and age group. Conclusion: Attention to the mental health of students is important because of the prevalence of mental disorders among students in this study and that mental disorder reduces one’s ability to perform activities and educational affairs and given the important point that many of these disorders can be evaluated and predictable.