Depression, anxiety and stress among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic

Cilj: U vrijeme pandemije COVID-19 promjene u uvjetima studiranja mogu utjecati na mentalno zdravlje studenata medicine. Istraživanje ima za cilj ispitati pojavnost depresije, anksioznosti i stresa, njihovu povezanost sa sociodemografskim i akademskim karakteristikama te postojanje razlika između studenata pretkliničkih i kliničkih godina studija. Metode: Ovo presječno istraživanje provedeno je online uporabom metode snježne grude. Uključeno je 206 studenata svih godina Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, od čega je 51% pripadalo skupini pretkliničkih, a 49% skupini kliničkih godina studija. Rezultati: Istraživanje je ukazalo na prisutnost depresije u 25,7% studenata medicine, 26,7% je imalo značajne anksiozne smetnje, a 15% značajne simptome stresa. Simptomi anksioznosti i stresa bili su više izraženi u studentica. Korelacijska analiza ukazala je na obrnutu povezanost depresije, anksioznosti i stresa s prosječnim uspjehom, depresije s godinom studija, a vrijeme provedeno u učenju obrnuto je koreliralo s anksioznošću. U logističkoj regresiji su prosjek ocjena i partnerski status (biti u vezi) bili značajni prediktori depresije, prosjek ocjena, spol i konzumacija psihoaktivnih tvari značajni prediktori anksioznosti, dok su spol i konzumacija psihoaktivnih tvari bili značajni prediktori stresa. Preboljenje COVID-19 kao i cijepljenje protiv ove bolesti nije bilo povezano s depresijom, anksioznošću i stresom. Cijepljenje je bilo češće što su studenti stariji, odnosno češće u skupini kliničkih godina studija. Zaključak: U doba pandemije lošije mentalno zdravlje studenata medicine povezano je sa ženskim spolom, lošijim akademskim uspjehom, partnerskim statusom i konzumacijom psihoaktivnih tvari. Preboljenje COVID-19 kao i cijepljenje protiv COVID-19 nije bilo povezano s mentalnim zdravljem.Aim: At the time of COVID-19 pandemic the terms of studying medicine have considerably changed, which could lead to worse mental health of medical students. The study aims to assess the presence of depression, anxiety and stress, categorised to preclinical and clinical groups of students, and their association with sociodemographic and academic characteristics. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on-line using snowball method. Two hundred and six students at the Medical School, University of Zagreb were included, of whom 51% were in the group of preclinical and 49% in the group of clinical years. Results: The study showed the presence of depression in 25.7% of medical students, 26.7% had significant symptoms of anxiety, and 15% of stress. Anxiety and stress were significantly higher in female students. Correlation analysis showed a negative association between depression, anxiety, stress and average grades, between depression and the year of the study, and the time spent in learning correlated negatively with anxiety. In logistic regression average grades and partner status (being in a relationship) were the main predictors of depression. Average grades, gender, and consumption of psychoactive substances were significant predictors of anxiety. Gender and psychoactive substances consumption were significant predictors of stress. Overcoming COVID-19 and vaccination against it were not associated with depression, anxiety and stress. Vaccination was associated with older age and was significantly more common in the clinical years group. Conclusion: In time of the pandemic worse mental health of medical students was associated with female gender,lower academic grades, partner status, and consumption of psychoactive substances. Overcoming COVID-19 and vaccination against it were not associated with mental health

Depression, anxiety and stress among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic

Aim: At the time of COVID-19 pandemic the terms of studying medicine have considerably changed, which could lead to worse mental health of medical students. The study aims to assess the presence of depression, anxiety and stress, categorised to preclinical and clinical groups of students, and their association with sociodemographic and academic characteristics. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on-line using snowball method. Two hundred and six students at the Medical School, University of Zagreb were included, of whom 51% were in the group of preclinical and 49% in the group of clinical years. Results: The study showed the presence of depression in 25.7% of medical students, 26.7% had significant symptoms of anxiety, and 15% of stress. Anxiety and stress were significantly higher in female students. Correlation analysis showed a negative association between depression, anxiety, stress and average grades, between depression and the year of the study, and the time spent in learning correlated negatively with anxiety. In logistic regression average grades and partner status (being in a relationship) were the main predictors of depression. Average grades, gender, and consumption of psychoactive substances were significant predictors of anxiety. Gender and psychoactive substances consumption were significant predictors of stress. Overcoming COVID-19 and vaccination against it were not associated with depression, anxiety and stress. Vaccination was associated with older age and was significantly more common in the clinical years group. Conclusion: In time of the pandemic worse mental health of medical students was associated with female gender,lower academic grades, partner status, and consumption of psychoactive substances. Overcoming COVID-19 and vaccination against it were not associated with mental health

Mental health of medical students at the University of Zagreb

Studenti medicine izloženi su višestrukim stresnim događajima tijekom studija te mogu biti podložni različitim psihičkim poteškoćama. U provedenom istraživanju ispitivana je prisutnost anksioznih i depresivnih simptoma te simptoma stresa među studentskom populacijom na Medicinskom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu tijekom svih šest godina studija kako bi ispitali razlikuju li se navedene tegobe između studenata pretkliničkih i kliničkih godina studija i s obzirom na njihove sociodemografske karakteristike. Istraživanje je provedeno on-line i bilo je obuhvaćeno 206 ispitanika (53,4% studentica). Studenti prve tri godine studija čine skupinu pretkliničkih godina studija, a drugih tri godine skupinu kliničkih godina studija. Ispitanici su ispunjavali Upitnik depresivnosti, anksioznosti i stresa (DASS-21) i upitnik koji se odnosi na sociodemografske podatke. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da nije bilo značajne razlike u prisutnosti simptoma depresije, anksioznosti i stresa između studenata pretkliničkih i kliničkih godina studija. Također prema sociodemografskim pokazateljima studenti pretklinike i klinike nisu se značajno razlikovali. Usporedbom ispitanika prema spolu uočeno je kako studentice pokazuju izraženije simptome u sve tri podskale depresivnosti, anksioznosti i stresa u odnosu na studente. Postojala je značajna negativna korelacija depresivnosti i prosjeka ocjena kao i anksioznosti sa prosjekom ocjena i pozitivna korelacija anksioznosti i sati provedenih u učenju, kao i negativna korelacija stresa i dobi te prosjeka ocjena. Zaključno, studenti pretkliničkih i kliničkih godina studija značajno se ne razlikuju prema depresivnosti, anksioznosti i stresu, no studentice su više podložne ovim stanjima, a uspjeh na fakultetu povezan je sa mentalnim zdravljem. Potrebna su istraživanja koja bi pratila mentalno zdravlje tijekom studija medicine kako bi studenti pravovremeno mogli potražiti psihološku/psihijatrijsku pomoć.Medical students are exposed to multiple stress events during the years of studying and can be prone to range of psychological difficulties. The study examined the presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the student population at the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb during all six years of study to see how these problems are distributed among students in the preclinical and clinical years of study and the different socio-demographic groups. The two hundred and six participants (53. 4% female) were included during on-line evaluation. Students of the first three years formed preclinical and the other three years clinical group. Participants filled in Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) and questionnaire for evaluation of sociodemographic data. The results showed that there was no significant difference in symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress between preclinical and clinical group. Also, two groups did not differ based on sociodemographic data. Female students showed significantly more symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress compared to males. Significant correlation was shown between depression and average grades as well as between anxiety and grades and negative correlation between anxiety and hours spent in learning. There was also negative correlation between stress and age and average grades. We can conclude that students of preclinical and clinical group did not differ based on depression, anxiety and stress but female students share more prone to these problems and success in study is important for mental health of medical students. There is a need for follow-up studies that would screen for students that need psychological or psychiatric help