title: A Study of Psychological Distress in Two Cohorts of First-Year Medical Students that Underwent Different Admission Selection Processes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical training is often regarded as a stressful period. Studies have previously found that 21.6%-50% of medical students experience significant psychological distress. The present study compared the prevalence and levels of psychological distress between 2 cohorts of first-year medical students that underwent different admission selection processes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted by comparing 2 cohorts of first-year medical students; 1 group (cohort 1) was selected based purely on academic merit (2008/2009 cohort) and the other group (cohort 2) was selected based on academic merit, psychometric assessment, and interview performance (2009/2010 cohort). Their distress levels were measured by the General Health Questionnaire, and scores higher than 3 were considered indicative of significant psychological distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence (P = 0.003) and levels (P = 0.001) of psychological distress were significantly different between the 2 cohorts. Cohort 1 had 1.2-3.3 times higher risk of developing psychological distress compared to cohort 2 (P = 0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cohort 2 had better psychological health than cohort 1 and was less likely to develop psychological distress. This study provided evidence of a potential benefit of multimodal student selection based on academic merit, psychometric assessment, and interview performance. This selection process might identify medical students who will maintain better psychological health.
authors.affiliation: Medical Education Department, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Muhamad Saiful Bahri
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yusoff
authors.forename: Ahmad Fuad Abdul
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Rahim
authors.forename: Abdul Aziz
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Shaiful Bahari
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Ab Rahman
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Esa
keywords: medical; psychology; school admission criteria; student