Depression, stress and anxiety in medical students: A cross-sectional comparison between students from different semesters

Abstract

Depression, stress anD anxiety in meDical stuDents: a cross-sectional comparison between stuDents from Different semesters rev assoc Med Bras 2017; 63 (1) Objective: To compare the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress in medical students from all semesters of a Brazilian medical school and assess their respective associated factors. Method: A cross-sectional study of students from the twelve semesters of a Brazilian medical school was carried out. Students filled out a questionnaire including sociodemographics, religiosity (DUREL -Duke Religion Index), and mental health (DASS-21 -Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale). The students were compared for mental health variables (Chi-squared/ANOVA). Linear regression models were employed to assess factors associated with DASS-21 scores.Results: 761 (75.4%) students answered the questionnaire; 34.6% reported depressive symptomatology, 37.2% showed anxiety symptoms, and 47.1% stress symptoms. Significant differences were found for: anxiety -ANOVA: [F = 2.536, p=0.004] between first and tenth (p=0.048) and first and eleventh (p=0.025) semesters; depression -ANOVA: [F = 2.410, p=0.006] between first and second semesters (p=0.045); and stress -ANOVA: [F = 2.968, p=0.001] between seventh and twelfth (p=0.044), tenth and twelfth (p=0.011), and eleventh and twelfth (p=0.001) semesters. The following factors were associated with (a) stress: female gender, anxiety, and depression; (b) depression: female gender, intrinsic religiosity, anxiety, and stress; and (c) anxiety: course semester, depression, and stress. Conclusion: Our findings revealed high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in medical students, with marked differences among course semesters. Gender and religiosity appeared to influence the mental health of the medical students.

Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Estresse: propriedades psicométricas e prevalência das afetividades

“…Contudo, considerando a ocorrência de situações em que uma versão mais curta do instrumento é desejável, os autores 3 apresentaram uma versão reduzida da DASS com 21 itens, denominada DASS-21. Essa versão do instrumento tem sido aplicada em diferentes países 6,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] , incluindo o contexto luso-brasileiro 5,6,8,14,19 . No Brasil, Vignola e Tucci 6 e Patias et al 14 aplicaram a DASS-21 em indivíduos adultos, idosos e adolescentes, respectivamente, no intuito de investigar as medidas de validade e confiabilidade desse instrumento.…”

“…Outro aspecto que pode ser destacado no tocante à utilização da DASS, é sua aplicação em estudantes universitários 8,[11][12][13]15,20,21 . Essa pode ser justificada pelo fato dessa população ser apontada 13,15 como suscetível a estados emocionais aversivos.…”

Epidemiology of Burnout and Stress Among Medical Students of Undergraduate School and Its Associated Factors

“…24 It is understandable that the joy and personal relief when entering college is momentary, as this joy is soon replaced by an intense study routine, time and personal financial management, and distance from the family. 14,33 The management of everyday life is usually complex for these young students. In addition, there is a spirit of competitiveness, frequent frustrations, tensions in the university and hospital environment, observations of the exhaustive practices of medical professionals, and a lack of leisure and rest.…”

Effectiveness of universal programmes for the prevention of suicidal ideation, behaviour and mental ill health in medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Most interventions were offered during the preclinical years; however, some evidence suggests that levels of suicidal ideation,37 depression38 and stress39 increase throughout the course of the medical degree, peaking in the clinical years of training 40. Additionally, stressors likely differ between students in their preclinical years as opposed to those in their clinical training years.…”