Prevalence of depression among three cohorts of medical students

Abstract Background Medical education is often related to serious distress for students, that affects negatively their mental well-being. Depression, poor academic performance, increased alcohol consumption, suicidal thoughts, are some of the detrimental effects of diminished mental health. Studies on depression in medical students reveal a higher prevalence (1.4-73.5%) than in the general population. This study aimed to assess and compare depression prevalence and severity in three cohorts of medical students in Bulgaria and Turkey. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with 257 Bulgarian and 288 foreign medical students from Medical University-Sofia, Bulgaria, and with 270 Turkish medical students from Ankara in the winter semester of 2019-2020 academic year. We used the Beck depression inventory (BDI) as valid and reliable instrument to assess depression. The students were categorised according to BDI scores in three groups: with mild depression (10- 18 points); moderate depression (19-29); severe depression (30- 63). Data were analysed with program product Python 3 (v3.6.9) with Pandas v0.25.3 and Scipy v1.4.1. Results Depressive symptoms reported 71.5% of Turkish students, 47.1% of Bulgarian and 48.7% of foreign medical students. The depression frequency among Turkish and Bulgarian medical students was significantly different (chi2 = 35.31; p = 0,001). Mean BDI scores were similar for Bulgarian medical students (11.0) and foreign medical students, studying in Bulgaria (11.6). Turkish medical students scored highest on BDI (15.3). Severe depression was detected in 5.6% of foreign, 4.3% of Bulgarian and 6.3% of Turkish students. Conclusions Depression prevalence was high in all studied medical students cohorts, with Turkish cohort affected most, probably because of cultural and curriculum differences. Key messages Support of student’s mental health should be an integral part of the educational policies of all Medical Universities worldwide. Depression among medical students has to be prevented by comprehensive approach.

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The Impact of Social Support on Students’ Behavior in the Context of Iraqi Medical Education

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2021.7688 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (E) ◽

pp. 1553-1559

Author(s):

I. D. Al-Hasani ◽

H. S. Salih ◽

A. T. Abdul Wahid ◽

Mohammed Jabarah

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Medical Students ◽

Social Life ◽

Online Survey ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems are reflected and linked to human behavior in many aspects. Medical students are susceptible to a wide variety of events that compromise their mental well-being, social life as well as their academic achievements. AIM: This study aimed to find the impact of social support on medical students’ behavior in Iraq via assessing their depression, anxiety, and stress status. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey-based study targeted all medical students in Iraq. The employed questionnaires covered mental health status of participants by evaluating their perceptions of depression, anxiety, and stress using. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System. RESULTS: The study revealed a significant influence of social support on students’ perceptions of depression and anxiety, but not of their perception of stress. CONCLUSION: Lending social support to medical student is crucial to improve their depression and anxiety with all the positive results that the support brings to their behavior and social life. However, they need more than the social support to keep them safe from academic and daily life stressors.

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Mental health in medical, dentistry and veterinary students: cross-sectional online survey

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2018.61 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 441-446 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Duleeka Knipe ◽

Chloe Maughan ◽

John Gilbert ◽

David Dymock ◽

Paul Moran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Online Survey ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Science ◽

Veterinary Students ◽

Cross Sectional

BackgroundThe mental health of university students, especially medical students, is of growing concern in the UK.AimTo estimate the prevalence of mental disorder in health sciences students and investigate help-seeking behaviour.MethodAn online survey from one English university (n= 1139; 53% response rate) collected data on depression (using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire), anxiety (seven-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment), alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), self-harm and well-being, as well as help seeking.ResultsA quarter of the students reported symptoms of moderate/severe depression and 27% reported symptoms of moderate/severe anxiety. Only 21% of students with symptoms of severe depression had sought professional help; the main reason for not seeking help was fear of documentation on academic records.ConclusionsThe study highlights the extent of mental health problems faced by health science students. Barriers to help seeking due to concerns about fitness-to-practise procedures urgently need to be addressed to ensure that this population of students can access help in a timely fashion.Declaration of interestNone.

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Evaluation of Depression among Medical Students of Gujarat during COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthline ◽

10.51957/healthline_183_2020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 76-79

Author(s):

Saumya Joshi ◽

Heer Patel ◽

Nirmika Patel

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Depression Score ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Mild Depression ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Early Evaluation ◽

Moderate Depression ◽

Severity Of Depression

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency with both physical and mental health risks. During this pandemic general medical complications have received the most attention, whereas only few studies address the potential direct effect on mental health of SARS-CoV-2 and the neurotropic potential. Objectives: To evaluate the depression score of an individual based on PHQ-9 scoring scale and to further classify the severity of depression among medical students. Method: It was a cross-sectional observational study, where primary quantitative data was collected using the PHQ-9 scale to assess the level of depression among the medical students of Gujarat through Google forms. Results: Most of the participants were from 1st year MBBS (>50%) and 2nd year MBBS (37%) and rest were from 3rd year. Around 29.4% students suffered from minimal depression, 34% has mild depression, 19% had moderate depression, 12% had moderately severe depression and 5.6% students suffered from severe depression. Conclusion: COVOD-19 pandemic is having impact on mental health of the medical students. Early evaluation of depression may help to decide intervention to reduce further depression among the students.

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Assessment of the Depression Level among Medical Students at University of Baghdad, College of Medicine

AL-Kindy College Medical Journal ◽

10.47723/kcmj.v17i3.248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 175-179

Author(s):

Zainab Ali Jaber ◽

Raghad Awfeeq Salman ◽

Dania Yasser Abid Al Wahab ◽

Manal Adnan Habib ◽

Israa Ali Hussein

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Online Survey ◽

Medical Condition ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Mild Depression ◽

Major Life ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

The University

Background: Depression, a state of low mood and aversion to activity, can affect people's thoughts, behavior, tendencies, feelings, and sense of well-being. It can either be short-term or long-term, depending on the severity of the person's condition. Risk factors include personal or family history of depression, major life changes, trauma, stress, certain physical illnesses, and medications. Objective: This study investigates the prevalence of depression among medical students at the University of Baghdad, college of medicine in Iraq, and the association between some variables and depression. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study design with a convenience sampling method was conducted. A sample of 323 medical students attending the University of Baghdad, college of medicine, were included in this study between July 2019 and September 2019, regardless of their age or gender. The study included five grades according to the year 2019-2020. An online survey was conducted using Google Forms which included two sections. Section 1 included questions about participants' demographics. The second section included the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) score. Results: A total of 323 students of different demographics participated in this study. The number of males was 108 (33.4%), and the number of females was 215 (66.6%). The frequency of participants who got mild depression was the highest, i.e., 127 (39.3%), whereas 85 (26.3%) were non-depressed. Therefore, this study sample had a high prevalence of depression. On the other hand, the frequency of mild-moderate depression was 57.9%. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among medical students at the University of Baghdad was high. Gender, having friends, having a medical condition or disease, having family issues, whether it's easy to communicate with others, encountering an event that affected them, and having a family member who suffers from a psychological condition are associated with depression among students. In contrast, age, marital status, college year, seeking help in the past, and having a part-time job have no association with depression

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Public Concerns during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Multicultural Cross-Sectional Study among Internet Survey Respondents in Three Countries

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10081577 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1577

Author(s):

Alona Emodi-Perlman ◽

Ilana Eli ◽

Nir Uziel ◽

Joanna Smardz ◽

Anahat Khehra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Middle Eastern ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Internet Survey ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Culturally Different ◽

Patient Health

(1) Background: this study aimed to evaluate the worries, anxiety, and depression in the public during the initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown in three culturally different groups of internet survey respondents: Middle Eastern (Israel), European (Poland), and North American (Canada). (2) Methods: a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in the mentioned countries during the lockdown periods. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire on personal concerns, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). A total of 2207 people successfully completed the survey. (3) Results: Polish respondents were the most concerned about being infected. Canadian respondents worried the most about their finances, relations with relatives and friends, and both physical and mental health. Polish respondents worried the least about their physical health, and Israeli respondents worried the least about their mental health and relations with relatives and friends. Canadian respondents obtained the highest score in the PHQ-4, while the scores of Israeli respondents were the lowest. (4) Conclusions: various factors should be considered while formulating appropriate solutions in emergency circumstances such as a pandemic. Understanding these factors will aid in the development of strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of stress, social isolation, and uncertainty on the well-being and mental health of culturally different societies.

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Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Medical Students, interns and residents in Pakistan

10.53350/pjmhs211592333 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (9) ◽

pp. 2333-2336

Author(s):

Anum Arif ◽

Minahil Iram ◽

Sabih Nofal ◽

Aima Sohail ◽

Bismah Riaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Military Hospital ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Interns And Residents ◽

The Mean

Aim: To assess prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, Stress in medical students, interns, and residents in Pakistan Study design: Cross-sectional Survey (Questionnaire) based study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College from March 2020 to May 2020. Results: 104 participants were included in the study. There was female predominance 58(55.8%), and the mean age was 23.55±1.42. The overall mean score of depression and anxiety was 21.2±12.67 and 15.7±10.67 respectively and most prevalent in third and fourth-year residents. The mean stress score was 13.7, 10. 27. Twenty-eight (26.9%) of the overall participants had extremely severe depression, 36 (34.6 %) had extremely severe anxiety and 13(12.5%) had severe stress. Doctors studying and practicing in the private sector have a higher DASS21 score (p = < 0.006) Conclusion: Multiple factors have been found to contribute to the poor mental health of health care workers, including financial trouble, sleep deprivation, abuse from colleagues, high expectations, female gender, broken relationships, and substance misuse. Keywords: Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Medical, Mental Health Problem Solving, Psychological Distress,

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Attitude & belief towards mental illness and psychiatry as a faculty among medical students at International Medical University, Malaysia

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2021.362 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (S1) ◽

pp. S125-S125

Author(s):

Debakanta Behera ◽

Ji Yen Ku

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Career Choice ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychiatric Patients ◽

International Medical ◽

Early Exposure ◽

Medical University

AimsThird year Medical students from the International Medical University, Malaysia were assessed regarding their commonly held attitudes and beliefs for the mental illness in general as well as with respect to psychiatry as a faculty through a survey monkey based survey,BackgroundCommonly held perceptions and prejudices often can be overcame by education and early exposure to facts which also holds true with medical students and their attitude as well as expectations to psychiatry. Ever growing awareness regarding the Mental illness has helped but is unable to complete address the stigma and prejudices associated with it. Also Early exposure to psychiatry in medical education can provide a positive experience to medical students including germinating an interest in psychiatry as a career choice among the students.Method42 students of 3rd and 4th year medical school from International Medical University, Malaysia, some without any exposure to psychiatry, were participated in a survey created on a cloud based online survey link and responded to a questionnaire about the attitude and belief towards mental Illness as well as Psychiatry as a career choice. The results were analysed and data interpreted.ResultMost students (85%) though agreed that psychiatry is a rapidly expanding frontier of medicine sadly only 20% stated that it would be one of the top three career choice. Just under the 50% of the students stated that the psychiatric patients are more likely to harm others. About 95% felt that psychiatric consultations of patients with medical and surgical health problems would be helpful and 90% students shared that they would not feel embarrassed about someone from their family if diagnosed with mental illness.ConclusionPsychiatric exposure in medical education has been recognised as inadequate in general and often exposing medical students to psychiatry early helps improving the stigma and prejudices associated with mental illness. It will also give them sufficient exposure to assess the illness holistically keeping mental health in mind while treating physically ill people and also may inspire them to choose psychiatry as a career choice in a rapidly developing and conservative country such as Malaysia where mental health services are largely inadequate and is the second biggest health issue.

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Resilience, well-being, depression symptoms and concussion levels in equestrian athletes

Journal of Public Mental Health ◽

10.1108/jpmh-08-2020-0110 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Annika McGivern ◽

Stephen Shannon ◽

Gavin Breslin

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

History Of

Purpose This paper aims to conduct the first cross-sectional survey on depression, Resilience, well-being, depression symptoms and concussion levels in equestrian athletes and to assess whether past concussion rates were associated with depression, resilience and well-being. Design/methodology/approach In total, 511 participants from Canada, Republic of Ireland, UK, Australia and USA took part in an international cross-sectional, online survey evaluating concussion history, depression symptoms, resilience and well-being. Findings In total, 27.1% of athletes met clinically relevant symptoms of major depressive disorder. Significant differences were shown in the well-being and resilience scores between countries. Significant relationships were observed between reported history of concussion and both high depression scores and low well-being scores. Practical implications Findings highlight the need for mental health promotion and support in equestrian sport. Social implications Results support previous research suggesting a need for enhanced mental health support for equestrians. There is reason to believe that mental illness could still be present in riders with normal levels of resilience and well-being. Originality/value This study examined an understudied athlete group: equestrian athletes and presents important findings with implications for the physical and mental health of this population.

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La depresión: una realidad masculina

Enfoques ◽

10.24267/23898798.80 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 45

Author(s):

Nubia Álvarez Vargas ◽

Ángela Paola Ochoa Gaitán

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Mild Depression ◽

Male Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Implementation Phase ◽

Adult Men ◽

Descriptive Approach ◽

Cross Sectional Design

Currently Depression is a serious mental health problem, which significantly affects the individuals; thus requires an appropriate psychological management. Numerous studies have been conducted around this problem which repeatedly shows the presence of depression in women more than in men. However, considering that in the male population has increased the risk of the disease, especially if you consider that has not produced a specific etiology of depression in the male population; making it difficult for mental health professionals make diagnoses and treatments. Thus, the present study aims to determine the existence of depression in male employees of an institution of higher education. The research corresponds to a non-experimental cross-sectional design, quantitative and descriptive approach. The non-random sample of intentional or convenience way consisted of 45 men. The instrument of data collection is known as CDH (Questionnaire depression for men) through which to assess depressive symptoms in adolescent and adult men. Partial results helped identify 44% no depression, 40% mild depression, 11% with moderate depression and 5% severe depression. The discussion and analysis of the results will be finalized on completion of the implementation phase.

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Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Medical Students, interns and residents in Pakistan

10.53350/pjmhs211592215 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (9) ◽

pp. 2215-2218

Author(s):

Anum Arif ◽

Minahil Iram ◽

Sabih Nofal ◽

Aima Sohail ◽

Bismah Riaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Medical Students ◽

Severe Depression ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Military Hospital ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Prevalence Of Depression ◽

Interns And Residents ◽

The Mean

Aim: To assess prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress in medical students, interns and residents in Pakistan Study design: Cross-sectional Survey (Questionnaire) based study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Lahore Medical College from March 2020 to May 2020. Results: 104 participants were included in the study. There was female predominance 58(55.8%), and the mean age was 23.55±1.42. The overall mean score of depression and anxiety was 21.2±12.67 and 15.7±10.67 respectively and most prevalent in third and fourth-year residents. The mean stress score was 13.7, 10. 27. Twenty-eight (26.9%) of the overall participants had extremely severe depression, 36 (34.6 %) had extremely severe anxiety and 13(12.5%) had severe stress. Conclusion: Multiple factors have been found to contribute to the poor mental health of health care workers, including financial trouble, sleep deprivation, abuse from colleagues, high expectations, female gender, broken relationships, and substance misuse. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in common in medical students. This calls for the development of strategies, workshops, and programs to identify modifiable stressors, encourage students to reach out to their family members and their teachers to verbalize their issues, and make psychiatric consultation accessible to them. Keywords: Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Medical, Mental Health Problem Solving, Psychological Distress,

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