Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Students of Various Fields of Medical Sciences: A survey at Babol University of Medical Sciences, North of Iran

Abstract

Background: University students are particularly susceptible to anxiety and depressive disorders. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among students of medical sciences after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among students in different fields of medical sciences at Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was used to assess stress, depressive, and anxiety symptoms. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. A P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 356 students with a mean age of 21.74 ± 2.11 years were included. According to the DASS-21, 230 students (64.6%) had depressive symptoms, 157 (44.1%) had anxiety symptoms, and 179 (50.3%) had stress. Moderate to severe depression, anxiety, and stress had a frequency of 34.0%, 27.2%, and 30.0%, respectively. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed the significant effect of being single (OR = 2.12, P = 0.037) and a nursing student (OR = 2.23, P = 0.041) on the occurrence of depressive symptoms. Older age (OR = 1.15, P = 0.007), male gender (OR = 0.53, P = 0.001), being single (OR = 2.51, P = 0.006), and being a medical student (OR = 2.46, P = 0.004) had a significant association with the presence of anxiety symptoms. Older age (OR = 1.11, P = 0.05), male gender (OR = 0.49, P = 0.001), and singleness of the student (OR = 3.01, P = 0.003) had a significant association with the occurrence of stress in these students. Conclusions: Psychological problems, including stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms, have a relatively high prevalence among students of medical sciences, predominantly female and single individuals. More attention should be paid to alleviate the incidence of these disorders.