Research article summary (published 30 Jan 2003):

Prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students of private university.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess anxiety and depression levels among medical students of a private university by using a self-administered anxiety and depression questionnaire. METHODOLOGY: A cross sectional study was done on the students of Ziauddin Medical University, who had spent more than six months in the medical school. A self-administered questionnaire was given to the students, present in the class and willing to participate in the study. During the survey students of 5th year were not available. The instrument used to asses the anxiety and depression levels was the, Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS). Additional questions regarding socioeconomic variables were also included in the survey instrument, such as student's birth order, monthly income, number of siblings, and monthly expenditure on education. Data analysis was done on Epi info version 6. RESULTS: There were 252 students in 4th year MBBS to 1st year MBBS. Of these 189 were present during the survey. Using anxiety and depression scale it was found out that 113 (60%) students had anxiety and depression. Prevalence of anxiety and depression in students of 4th year, 3rd year, 2nd year and 1st year was 49%, 47%, 73% and 66% respectively. It was significantly higher in 1st year and 2nd year, as compared to 3rd and 4th year (p < 0.05). It was seen that birth order, monthly income, number of siblings and monthly expenditure on education did not affect the prevalence of anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that medical students experience anxiety and depression, the finding is consistent with other western studies, however there is no local data available to support our findings. The study finding highlights the need of psychiatric counseling and support services available to vulnerable students. These findings should be further explored in longitudinal studies to identify the stressors leading to these outcomes and appropriate interventions.

Author information

Author/s: Inam, S N B (SN); Saqib, A (A); Alam, E (E);

Affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association (J Pak Med Assoc), published in Pakistan. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Feb; vol 53 (issue 2) : pp 44-7

Dates: Created 2003/04/22; Completed 2003/05/20; Revised 2008/02/12;

PMID: 12705482, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult Anxiety - epidemiology Cross-Sectional Studies Depression - epidemiology Female Humans Male

Male Pakistan - epidemiology Prevalence Psychiatric Status Rating Scales Risk Factors Socioeconomic Factors Students, Medical - psychology

Related articles

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

• Rates of depression and anxiety among female medical students in Pakistan. 30 Dec 2007
• Identifying the concerns of women undergoing chemotherapy. 30 Dec 2004
• Somatic symptoms explain differences in psychological distress in heart failure patients vs a comparison group. 30 Dec 2005
• Psychiatric symptoms in adolescents with Internet addiction: Comparison with substance use. 30 Jan 2008
• [Evolution of anxiety and depression detected during hospitalization in an Internal Medicine service] 29 Apr 2007
• Prevalence of depression, anxiety and their associated factors among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan. 29 Nov 2006
• Anxiety symptoms and perceived performance in medical students. 30 Dec 2006
• An international study comparing the effect of medically explained and unexplained somatic symptoms on psychosocial outcome. 30 Jan 2006
• Are self-referrers just the worried well?--A cross-sectional study of self-referrers to community psycho-educational Stress and Self-Confidence workshops. 29 Apr 2005
• Social and lifestyle determinants of depression, anxiety, sleeping disorders and self-evaluated quality of life in Russia--a population-based study in Arkhangelsk. 13 Aug 2005

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.