Training to become a doctor might also increase your risk of becoming an alcoholic. New research reveals that going to medical school substantially increases the risk of alcohol abuse and dependency, especially if you're a young bachelor in debt.
The latest study involved survey responses from 4,402 medical students. The study revealed that 32.4 percent of medical student met diagnostic criteria for clinical alcohol abuse or dependence.
The findings also revealed that students who were burned out or depressed were more likely to abuse or depend on alcohol. Those who were younger than most peers in medical school, single or had more than $50,000 of school debt were also more at risk for alcohol abuse or dependence.
"In 2012, the authors completed a national survey of medical students from the American Medical Association's Physician Masterfile containing validated items assessing alcohol abuse/dependence, burnout, depression, suicidality, quality of life (QOL), and fatigue. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were computed, including chi-square and multivariate logistic regression, to determine relationships between variables," researchers wrote in the study.
"Of the 12,500 students, 4,402 (35.2%) responded. Of these, 1,411 (32.4%) met diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence. Students who were burned out (P = .01), depressed (P = .01), or reported low mental (P =.03) or emotional (P = .016) QOL were more likely to have alcohol abuse/dependence. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization domains of burnout were strongly associated with alcohol abuse/dependence. On multivariate analysis, burnout (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.05-1.37; P < .01), having $50,000 to $100,000 (OR 1.21 versus < $50,000; CI 1.02-1.44; P < .05) or > $100,000 (OR 1.27 versus < $50,000; CI 1.08-1.48; P < .01) of educational debt, being unmarried (OR 1.89; CI 1.57-2.27; P < .001), and being younger (for every five years, OR 1.15; CI 1.02-1.28; P = .01) were independently associated with increased risk for alcohol abuse/dependence," they added.
Researchers found no significant differences in alcohol dependence between men and women. There was also no difference in alcohol dependence between differing years of medical school.
"Our findings clearly show there is reason for concern," said Liselotte Dyrbye, M.D., Mayo Clinic internist and senior author of the paper. "We recommend institutions pursue a multifaceted solution to address related issues with burnout, the cost of medical education and alcohol abuse."
"In our paper we recommend wellness curricula for medical schools, identifying and remediating factors within the learning environment contributing to stress, and removal of barriers to mental health services," said first author Eric Jackson of Mayo Medical School.
The findings were published in the journal Academic Medicine.
