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Modern health worries in medical students.

Kaptein AA, Helder DI, Kleijn WC, Rief W, Moss-Morris R, Petrie KJ

Unit of Psychology, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), The Netherlands. a.a.kaptein@lumc.nl

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between modern health worries (MHW), subjective health complaints, and use of health care services in first-year Dutch medical students, and to compare MHW in Dutch and New Zealand cohorts. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-seven Dutch first-year medical students completed questionnaires assessing MHW, subjective health complaints, positive and negative affect (PA and NA, respectively), and use of health care services. RESULTS: Dutch medical students were most concerned about drug resistant bacteria and least concerned about vaccination programmes. Overall, female students were more concerned about modern health issues than were male students. Students' scores on the MHW scale were significantly associated with subjective health complaints. Subjective health complaints were also significantly related to the use of health care services. The factor structure of the MHW scale was replicated. Respondents reported significantly lower scores on all MHW items than did New Zealand students. CONCLUSIONS: Worries about modernity are reliably associated with subjective health complaints and use of health care services in Dutch medical students.

Published 19 July 2005 in J Psychosom Res, 58(5): 453-7.
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