Prevalence of neurophobia among medical students and young doctors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background Neurophobia is a global phenomenon, that influences both medical students and postgraduate trainees. We aimed to analyze the prevalence of neurophobia by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on neurophobia, and potential associated risk factors. Methods The search was done in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases for studies reporting neurophobia among medical students and young doctors for the period up to March 18, 2024. The overall prevalence and scores of four subcomponents of neurophobia were pooled. The potential heterogeneity was tested through meta-regression/subgroup analyses/influence analysis. Results Twenty-four studies from 30 countries met the inclusion criteria and involved 10,395 responding individuals. The estimated overall pooled prevalence of neurophobia was 46% (95%CI, 35-57%; I 2 = 98%). The result of the meta-regression revealed that geographic region was significantly associated with the prevalence (p = 0.006). The pooled scores of the four subcomponents of neurophobia were: difficulty 3.79 (95%CI, 3.47–4.12, I 2 = 99%), confidence 2.81 (95%CI, 2.39–3.24, I 2 = 99.5%), interest 3.22 (95%CI, 2.84–3.61, I 2 = 99.6%), and knowledge 2.73 (95%CI, 2.39–3.06, I 2 = 98.1%). Conclusions Neurophobia was widely prevalent among medical students and young doctors. The high prevalence and severity highlight the need for targeted interventions to reduce neurophobia.

Keywords

• Systematic review
• Meta-analysis
• Neurophobia
• Prevalence
• Neurology education