Prevalence of Anxiety Among Medical, Dental, and Nursing Students in Selected Balkan Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
7 affiliations
- 1Morphological and Functional Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galaţi, 800008 Galati, Romania
- 2Clinical Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galaţi, 800008 Galati, Romania
- 3“Dr. Aristide Serfioti” Military Emergency Hospital, 800008 Galati, Romania
- 4Discipline of Endocrinology, Department 5, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
- 5Pediatrics Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
- 6Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galaţi, 800008 Galati, Romania
- 72nd Department, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania
Abstract
Background: Anxiety is common among health science students, but the Balkan region is underrepresented in student mental health research and no regional synthesis exists. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the pooled prevalence of anxiety among medical, dental and nursing students in selected Balkan countries. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 and a PROSPERO registration (CRD420261332221), PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for English-language observational studies in eleven Balkan countries that assessed anxiety with a validated instrument. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data and appraised quality (JBI). Prevalence was pooled with a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model after Freeman-Tukey transformation, with prediction intervals and exploratory subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Results: Nine cross-sectional studies (N = 5177) from Croatia, Romania, Greece, Kosovo and Serbia were included. The pooled prevalence of anxiety at or above moderate severity was 27.5% (95% CI: 20.2–35.5%), with very high heterogeneity (I2 = 97.1%; 95% prediction interval 5.3–58.6%). Leave-one-out analyses (26.0–29.4%) and alternative estimators (26.9–27.5%) gave similar estimates. Subgroup analyses were exploratory. Conclusions: The pooled prevalence is an average across heterogeneous studies, not a regional benchmark. The evidence is limited to English-language studies from five of eleven countries, and the findings are preliminary. Harmonised primary research is needed.
Related
- Prevalence and functional impact of musculoskeletal pain among university students in seven Arab countries and its sociodemographic and lifestyle associations
- Predictors, prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety in Vietnam and comparable lower-middle-income countries in Southeast Asia: protocol for an integrative review
- Assessment of the prevalence and types of substance abuse among undergraduate students in selected universities in Ogun State, Nigeria
- Prevalence and factors associated with social media addiction among undergraduate students from selected districts of Kerala, India: a cross-sectional study.
- Prevalence of Diabetes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries' Incarcerated Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
BibTeX
@article{pleșeacondratovici2026prevalence,
title = {{Prevalence of Anxiety Among Medical, Dental, and Nursing Students in Selected Balkan Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}},
author = {Cătălin Pleșea-Condratovici and Constantin-Marinel Vlase and Ionuț-Silviu Vasile and Aritina-Elvira Moroșanu and Manuela Arbune and Petruț-Ștefan Șerban and Răzvan Cosmin Pană},
journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/jcm15218566},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8566},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prevalence of Anxiety Among Medical, Dental, and Nursing Students in Selected Balkan Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AU - Cătălin Pleșea-Condratovici
AU - Constantin-Marinel Vlase
AU - Ionuț-Silviu Vasile
AU - Aritina-Elvira Moroșanu
AU - Manuela Arbune
AU - Petruț-Ștefan Șerban
AU - Răzvan Cosmin Pană
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO - 10.3390/jcm15218566
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8566
AB - Background: Anxiety is common among health science students, but the Balkan region is underrepresented in student mental health research and no regional synthesis exists. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the pooled prevalence of anxiety among medical, dental and nursing students in selected Balkan countries. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 and a PROSPERO registration (CRD420261332221), PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for English-language observational studies in eleven Balkan countries that assessed anxiety with a validated instrument. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data and appraised quality (JBI). Prevalence was pooled with a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model after Freeman-Tukey transformation, with prediction intervals and exploratory subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Results: Nine cross-sectional studies (N = 5177) from Croatia, Romania, Greece, Kosovo and Serbia were included. The pooled prevalence of anxiety at or above moderate severity was 27.5% (95% CI: 20.2–35.5%), with very high heterogeneity (I2 = 97.1%; 95% prediction interval 5.3–58.6%). Leave-one-out analyses (26.0–29.4%) and alternative estimators (26.9–27.5%) gave similar estimates. Subgroup analyses were exploratory. Conclusions: The pooled prevalence is an average across heterogeneous studies, not a regional benchmark. The evidence is limited to English-language studies from five of eleven countries, and the findings are preliminary. Harmonised primary research is needed.
SN - 2077-0383
ER -