Objective The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on university students, including those in medical schools, with disruption in routine education causing significant psychological distress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with psychological distress among medical students during the period of enforced home quarantine from March through May 2020. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting One Japanese medical school. Participants 571 medical students. Primary and secondary outcome measures Self-administered electronic questionnaires including the K-6 scale for psychological distress, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) for self-esteem and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) for self-efficacy were distributed. To assess the determinant factor for psychological distress, variables such as sex, grade in school, living conditions, and RSES and GSES scores were evaluated in regression analysis. Results 163 respondents (28.5%) scored ≥5 on the K-6 scale, indicating a significant degree of psychological distress. Logistic regression revealed that a higher score on RSES (p<0.001) and GSES (p<0.01) was an independent factor associated with lower levels of psychological distress. Multiple regression analysis focusing on students with a K-6 score ≥5 revealed that higher scores on RSES correlated with lower levels of psychological distress. By contrast, those with higher GSES scores also scored higher for indicators of psychological distress. Conclusions This study identified that self-efficacy and self-esteem were both influential factors for predicting psychological distress during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Medical schools should provide support for mental health and educational initiatives directed at enhancing self-esteem and self-efficacy, with a focus on improving personal resilience. In emergency situations, such as that faced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, initial programmes might target students with higher levels of self-efficacy. By contrast, under routine situations, these efforts should be directed towards students with lower self-esteem as primary means to prevent depression.

Barroga E, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2023 Aug;38(37):e291. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e291

This study analyzed baseline data from a six-month longitudinal cohort to describe the demographic, occupational, and symptom profiles of Japanese working women and to examine associations between menopausal symptoms, workplace openness, and work productivity. A total of 4000 women aged 40–60 years completed the Simplified Menopause Index (SMI), a commonly used measure in Japan to assess menopausal symptoms, and the validated Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) to assess self-rated work productivity. Multiple regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for demographic and occupational covariates. Psychological symptoms showed the strongest negative association with work productivity (β = −0.186, p < 0.001), while vasomotor symptoms showed a small positive coefficient (β = 0.054, p = 0.007). Somatic symptoms were not significant (β = −0.033, p = 0.121). Lower perceived workplace openness was associated with lower productivity (β = −0.149, p < 0.001), such that employees who felt uncomfortable or unsure about discussing health concerns reported lower productivity. Higher educational attainment, longer working hours, and longer years of service were also associated with higher productivity. These findings indicate that psychological and physical symptoms are associated with lower work functioning during midlife, while supportive organizational environments appear to be relevant in this context. These cross-sectional findings provide a foundation for future longitudinal analyses and highlight the potential relevance of workplaces that promote open health communication.

Background and Objectives: Sleep-related complaints are common among women in midlife and may reflect not only insufficient sleep duration but also broader menopausal symptom burden. Although menopausal symptoms and sleep problems are known to be related, less is known about how menopausal symptom domains are associated with self-reported sleep quality among working women, particularly when objective sleep duration is considered. This exploratory cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between menopausal symptom burden and self-reported poor sleep quality among Japanese working women aged 40 years and older, while accounting for objectively measured sleep duration. Materials and Methods: Participants completed questionnaires on sleep quality and menopausal symptoms and underwent objective sleep monitoring using a wearable electroencephalography device. Self-reported sleep quality was assessed using an item corresponding to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and dichotomized into poor and good sleep quality. Menopausal symptoms were evaluated using the Simplified Menopausal Index, including vasomotor, psychological, and somatic domains, with higher scores indicating greater symptom burden. Results: Among 79 participants, 43 reported poor sleep quality and 36 reported good sleep quality. Women with poor sleep quality had higher total and domain-specific SMI scores and shorter objective sleep duration. In logistic regression analyses adjusted for age and objective sleep duration, total SMI score and each symptom domain were associated with poor sleep quality. These associations remained significant in sensitivity analyses excluding the sleep-related SMI item from the total score and psychological domain score. Conclusions: Self-reported poor sleep quality among Japanese working women aged 40 years and older may reflect menopausal symptom burden beyond objectively measured sleep duration. The consistency of the findings across sensitivity analyses supports the robustness of this association. Sleep complaints may therefore serve as an accessible signal for recognizing menopausal symptom burden in clinical and occupational health settings.