Resumen

PERALES, Alberto; SOGI, Cecilia  y  MORALES, Ricardo. A mental health comparative study of two peruvian public universities' medical students . An. Fac. med. [online]. 2003, vol.64, n.4, pp.239-246. ISSN 1025-5583.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare the medical students' mental health of two Peruvian Public Universities. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Two medical student populations participated in the study: 1) 1115 students registered in 1997 at San Marcos University School of Medicine; and, 2) 508 students registered in 1998 at Trujillo University School of Medicine. RESULTS: Male proportion was higher than female; mean age was 24 years in both populations. Mental health problems detected indicate high levels of stress, high lifetime prevalence of alcohol and cigarettes use/abuse, dissocial and violent behaviors. Besides the students' lifestyle was affected by the medical career demands with few opportunities for social entertainments. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the presence of mental health problems in both populations. Students would be helped if a stress prevention program is established.

Palabras clave : Mental health; students, medical; stress; health behavior; life style.