Risky Behaviors Amongst Medical Students Within the United States

<ns3:p>Introduction The lifestyle of medical students may drive them to engage in risky behaviors to seek solace from their academic lives. Despite studies having been conducted on the mental health of medical students, very little is known regarding practices these individuals engage in to relieve stress. Methods An anonymous Qualtrics survey was created using the CDC’s 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to assess the risky behaviors of medical students. The survey was then sent to medical students across the United States during the 2023 fall academic semester. Statistical analysis was then conducted to determine the significance of the findings. Results Five hundred and sixty-one medical students who attend medical schools in 21 US states completed the survey. 9.30% of first years disclosed engaging in more risky behaviors to cope with medical school compared to 26.86% of second years. 10.47% of first years increased their alcohol intake, compared to 21.71% of second years. 5.81% of first years admitted to increasing episodes of alcohol binge drinking compared to 16.57% of second years. 2.33% of first years reported an increase in recreational drug use, compared to 14.29% of second years. 20.35% of first years described worsened diets, compared to 40.57% of second-year students. 19.19% of first years disclosed initiating care with a mental health professional, compared to 44.57% of second years. 7.56% of first years started a new prescription medication to cope with stressors, compared to 24.0% of second years. 95.93% of first years have no diagnosed psychiatric disorders, which decreases to 85.71% of second years, 72.41% of third years, and 62.32% of fourth years. Conclusion First-year medical students engage in less risky behaviors than their peers. We propose that medical schools can attenuate these risky coping mechanisms by offering campaigns discussing the potential harms of substance use by their students.</ns3:p>