Spirituality, depression and quality of life in medical students in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

BackgroundThe majority of studies on spirituality demonstrate its positive association with mental health. Despite the increasing number of studies, there remains a dearth of studies emanating from African countries looking at the relationship between mental illness, quality of life and measures of spirituality. The present study evaluates the role of spirituality in relation to current depression and quality of life in medical students, who are known to be at high risk for depression.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of moderate and severe depressive symptoms in this population and explore potential correlations between spirituality, depression and quality of life.Methods230 medical students were surveyed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Medical School, using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung SDS), Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS), WHO Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL) and a demographic data sheet.ResultsThere was a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in the medical students, with a significant proportion (15.6%) showing evidence of severe depressive symptoms (indicating likely depressive illness). Those with a history of mental illness or of having attended traditional, complementary or alternate medical practitioners showed higher levels of depression. Lower spirituality was associated with non-adherence to a major religion and a history of mental illness. Quality of life was better in second and fifth year students and poorer in those with a history of mental illness.ConclusionMedical students’ experiences of depression (most probably due to stress) and its relationship with spirituality and quality of life merit further investigation with a view to establishing policy guidelines for dealing with this issue.

The burden of depression and anxiety among medical students in South Africa: A cross-sectional survey at the University of Cape Town

“…The profile of depression and anxiety symptoms assessed by the PHQ-9 and HADS-A scales was therefore very high, and rates of depression and anxiety diagnoses in medical students were significantly higher than rates for the age-matched general population (8.9% and 14.6%). [4] The depressive symptom burden in medical students at the University of Cape Town in this study was higher than local findings from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (15.6%), [15] the University of the Free State (26.6%) [29] and the University of Pretoria (14.9%). [16] We acknowledge that it is unclear whether these findings represent true differences or may be attributable to differences in measurement tools and/or the impact of the death of the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town.…”

“…[30,31] We showed that students in their clinical years had a decreased association with being at risk of a depressive disorder, suggesting support of similar previous findings. [15,16] However, the findings for clinical diagnoses of depressive disorder and anxiety did not support these predictions. Interestingly, however, we did confirm that students who undertook the 2017 mini-semester had an increased likelihood of a clinical diagnosis of depressive or anxiety disorder.…”

“…We did not investigate the role of religion or spirituality, but the University of KwaZulu-Natal study on depression and spirituality highlighted its protective role on mental health. [15] Students who underwent the mini-semester were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety than those who did not, an important finding in the context of the SA…”

“…[14] Researchers from the University of KwaZulu-Natal investigated spirituality, depression and quality of life in 230 medical students. [15] Utilising the Zung Self Rating Scale, they reported that 15.6% of students had scores suggestive of severe depression, with the highest scores found in students doing their 4th year of study. A second study, albeit using a non-validated questionnaire, examined 416 students at the University of Pretoria through years 1, 4, 5 and 6.…”

The Relationship between Spirituality, Quality of Life, and Resilience

“…The quality of life (QOL) has been defined as a person's sense of wellbeing that stems from satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the areas of life that are important to him/her [16]. Quality of life is a broad concept and a measure of overall wellbeing and the individual's perception of their position in life, including the aspects of physical and mental health, relationships and environment [14]. [20] summarized that quality of life is defined as optimum levels of mental, physical, role (e.g., work, parent, carer, etc.)…”