Efeitos da meditação na saúde dos estudantes de medicina: uma revisão rápida da literatura

Abstract

Introduction: Increasing research suggests that medical students are at high risk of experiencing numerous psychological disorders. This population shows higher rates of stress, depression, mental distress, burnout, suicide, and lower levels of life satisfaction compared to students from other disciplines and the general population. Consequently, there is a clear need to seek effective strategies that promote emotional regulation and self-care among medical students. Objective: To gather all existing literature information indicating any effects of meditative practice on the health of medical students, thereby encouraging its individual use or as part of programs implemented by medical schools. Method: This is a Literature Rapid Review conducted following the recommendations of the PRISMA protocol. The search used Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS/MeSH) based on the research guiding question, including only Randomized Controlled Trials published in the last 10 years. Result: Six documents were included in this research. Meditation has shown to be effective in reducing perceived stress, psychological distress, vulnerability to developing psychopathologies, as well as increasing well-being, life satisfaction, mindfulness level, perceived self-efficacy, self-compassion, and altruism. Furthermore, positive long-term results have also been found. Conclusion: The results found reveal that meditation presents benefits in various aspects of the health of medical students. Although further studies are needed for confirmation, these findings suggests that the practice can be a promising tool in reducing stress and, consequently, suicide rates, as well as potentially boosting academic performance and patient care.