Satisfaction with telepsychiatry and mental health stigma among health sciences students in Egyptian universities

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Significance threshold set at p < 0.05; specific p-values for individual associations not provided in abstract

• Effect Size: Not reported in abstract; regression coefficients for sociodemographic predictors and the stigma-satisfaction association are not quantified

• Primary Outcome: Mean telepsychiatry satisfaction score: 67.84/105 (64.6% of maximum score). 24.0% agreed and 18.4% strongly agreed with being satisfied with telepsychiatry (combined positive response: ~42.4%)

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: Not applicable for this cross-sectional attitudinal study; no NNT, sensitivity/specificity, or hazard ratio reported. The positive association between STIG-9 stigma score and satisfaction score is noted but not quantified with a correlation coefficient or regression beta

• Confidence Interval: Not reported

Clinical Application

The study's findings, if replicated with more rigorous methodology, could inform the design of telepsychiatry programmes for medical and health sciences students in LMIC settings. The identification of stigma as a co-variable with satisfaction — rather than a barrier — is hypothesis-generating and warrants prospective investigation. Implementation of telepsychiatry in student health services requires attention to digital infrastructure, cultural competency of providers, and confidentiality concerns specific to small professional cohorts. Direct applicability to Australian practice is limited. Australian university student mental health services operate under a different regulatory and cultural framework. The RACGP supports telehealth for mental health (including MBS-funded telepsychiatry under items 91800–91899 post-COVID-19 expansion), and the TGA has not specifically regulated telepsychiatry platforms as medical devices. The Australian context benefits from established frameworks including headspace, university counselling services, and Beyond Blue digital resources. Stigma reduction in Australian health professional students is an active area of interest (e.g., RANZCP and AMSA initiatives), but this Egyptian study's findings should not be extrapolated to inform Australian policy without local replication. The PBS does not directly fund telepsychiatry software or platforms; MBS funding applies to the consultation itself. Egyptian health sciences university students (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, allied health) aged approximately 18–25 years with prior telepsychiatry experience. Findings are not directly applicable to clinical patient populations, general student populations without telepsychiatry exposure, or students in other national contexts.

Abstract

Health sciences students have a higher incidence of mental health disorders; however, stigma and barriers have complicated help-seeking. Telepsychiatry may be a solution, but acceptance, satisfaction, and stigma in this population, especially in Egypt, remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of satisfaction regarding telepsychiatry, stigma perceived with respect to mental illness, among health sciences students towards mental health services. It also aims to assess sociodemographic factors associated with these outcomes. This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted among 799 students from various universities in Egypt. It was conducted between August and November 2025, and the questionnaire involved sociodemographic data, the telepsychiatry satisfaction scale (21 items), and the STIG-9 stigma scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square and t-tests, and linear regression, with significance set at p < 0.05. Overall, participants had a mean age of 21.4 years, while 66.8% of participants were female. In total, 24.0% agreed, and 18.4% strongly agreed to being satisfied with telepsychiatry, with a mean total satisfaction score of 67.84/105. The mean STIG‑9 stigma score was 14.44/27. Linear regression identified sociodemographic variables independently associated with satisfaction and stigma; higher stigma was also positively associated with higher satisfaction. In this cohort of Egyptian health sciences students with prior telepsychiatry experience, satisfaction with telepsychiatry was positively associated with perceived stigma. These findings suggest that addressing socio-cultural stigma may support the acceptability of telepsychiatry and improve engagement with digital mental health services in similar student populations.

References

1. 1.Abdelaziz, M. N., Karaman, R. A., Azzam, H., Elganainy, M. M., Ebrahim, R. M., Basmsam, D. S., Elnour, M. A., Hodhod, D. S., Elhadidy, O. Y., & Assaf, A. A. (2026). Satisfaction with telepsychiatry and mental health stigma among health sciences students in Egyptian universities. Frontiers in Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1265096