ResumoIntrodução: O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar a prevalência de sintomas depressivos em alunos de medicina da Universidade Federal de Goiás, comparando com a população em geral e verificando a possibilidade de determinado período do curso atuar como fator de risco. Método: Estudo transversal, descritivo, de amostra representativa de alunos regularmente matriculados na Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Goiás. Foram selecionados 287 alunos do primeiro ao sexto ano através de sorteio aleatório simples. Utilizou-se, para avaliação, o Inventário de Depressão de Beck e um questionário de identificação. Resultados: Na população entrevistada, 26,8% apresentaram sintomas depressivos de acordo com escores do Inventário de Depressão de Beck estabelecidos para este estudo. A prevalência de sintomas depressivos moderados e graves entre os entrevistados foi de 6,9%, enquanto 19,9% apresentaram sintomas leves. Em relação ao sexo, encontrou-se 33,5% de mulheres e 19% de homens com sintomas depressivos. Em relação ao ano em curso, houve maior prevalência entre os alunos do terceiro e do quarto ano. Tristeza, anedonia, baixa auto-estima, perfeccionismo, irritabilidade, desinteresse por pessoas, redução da capacidade de trabalho e cansaço excessivo foram os itens do Inventário de Depressão de Beck mais pontuados. Conclusão: A prevalência de sintomas depressivos encontrada neste estudo é superior à média encontrada na população em geral, havendo indicativo de que a escola médica possa ser um fator predisponente para tais sintomas. Descritores: Acadêmicos de medicina, depressão, prevalência, prevenção. AbstractIntroduction: The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms among medical students of Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil, comparing them to the general population and investigating the possibility of a certain period throughout the course being a risk factor. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study of a representative sample of students regularly enrolled at the Medical School of Universidade Federal de Goiás was performed. A total of 287 students from the first to sixth year were selected using simple random drawing. The Beck Depression Inventory and an identification questionnaire were used for evaluation.

Background/aimWe evaluated the association between leisure time physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL) in medical students. Our hypothesis was that there was a positive association between volume of PA and various domains of perception of QoL.MethodsData were evaluated from a random sample of 1350 medical students from 22 Brazilian medical schools. Information from participants included the WHO Quality of Life questionnaire-short form (WHOQOL-BREF), a questionnaire specifically designed to evaluate QoL in medical students (VERAS-Q) and questions for both global QoL self-assessment and leisure time PA. According to the amount of metabolic equivalents (METs) spend during PA, volunteers were divided into four groups, according to the volume of PA: (a) no PA; (b) low PA, ≤540 MET min/week; (c) moderate PA, from 541 to 1260 MET min/week and (d) high PA, > 1261 MET min/week.ResultsForty per cent of the medical students reported no leisure time PA (46.0% of females and 32.3% of males). In contrast, 27.2% were classified in the group of high PA (21.0% of females and 34.2% of males). We found significant associations between moderate and high levels of PA and better QoL for all measurements. For low levels of PA, this association was also significant for most QoL measurements, with the exceptions of WHOQOL physical health (p=0.08) and social relationships (p=0.26) domains.ConclusionWe observed a strong dose-effect relationship between the volume of leisure time PA and QoL in both male and female medical students.

BackgroundThe undergraduate medical course is a period full of stressors, which may contribute to the high prevalence of mental disorders among students and a decrease in life’s quality. Research shows that interventions during an undergraduate course can reduce stress levels. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the Strategies for Coping with Professional Stress class offered to medical students of the Federal University of Goiás, at Goiânia, Goiás, in Brazil.MethodsQualitative research, developed with medical students in an elective class addressing strategies for coping with stress after a focal group (composed of nine of the 33 students taking this course) identified stress factors in the medical course and the coping strategies that these students use. Analysis of the results of the class evaluation questionnaire filled out by the students on the last day of class.ResultsStress factors identified by students in the focus group: lack of time, excessive class content, tests, demanding too much of themselves, overload of extracurricular activities, competitiveness among students and family problems. Coping strategies mentioned in the focus group: respecting one’s limits, setting priorities, avoiding comparisons, leisure activities (movies, literature, sports, meeting with friends and family). Results of the questionnaires: class content that was considered most important: quality of life, strategies for coping with stress, stress factors, assertiveness, community therapy, relaxation, cognitive restructuring, career choice, breathing, social networking, taking care of the caregiver, music therapy and narcissism. Most popular methodologies: relaxation practice, drawing words and discussion them in a group, community therapy, music therapy, simulated jury, short texts and discussion. Meaning of the class: asking questions and reinforcing already known strategies (22.6%), moment of reflection and self-assessment (19.4%), new interest and a worthwhile experience (19.4%), improvement in quality of life (16.1%), expression’s opportunity (9.7%), other (6.4%).ConclusionThe stressors perceived by the medical students are intense and diverse, and the coping strategies used by them are wide-ranging. Most students felt that the class was a worthwhile learning experience, incorporated new practices for improving quality of life and recognized the importance of sharing and reflecting on one’s stressors and life choices.

BackgroundThe frequently observed stress of medical students worldwide leads them to have psychic suffering often leading to illness. Minor psychic disorders such as anxiety, depression and burnout, have a higher prevalence in these students than in the rest of random population. Different initiatives were tried to minimize the deleterious effects of the medical course and this article aims at showing the repercussions of a elective course that and was proposed as a possibility to help the students.MethodsA qualitative case study took place in a public Brazilian university as an elective discipline offered to medical students in 2013, offering coping strategies for professional stress. The data was collected through a semi-structured individual questionnaire that was anonymous, and given to students on the last day of the course, with 18 Likert scale questions about personal and behavioural changes observed after taking the course. Objective questions were asked about their perception of stress at the beginning and at the end of the course: the use of the coping strategies taught and the perception of the utility of the content. In addition, one open-ended question was asked about the meaning of the discipline to the students. The quantitative data was analysed with descriptive simple statistics and the qualitative with the support of the WebQDA software. The research project was approved by the ethics committee of the institution.ResultsThe results showed that the course contributed positively to the students’ academic life: 67 % reported less symptoms of stress at the end of the course; 76 % adopted new coping strategies; and 90 % considered that this learning activity was useful for identifying stressors and sharing them with colleagues.ConclusionsThe elective course produced benefits to the students, representing theoretical-practical learning and an opportunity for reflection and self-knowledge, which caused psychological, behavioural and lifestyle changes. It is recommended that further studies on this theme should be conducted.

Objective. To investigate the association between parental bonding styles and anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and self-efficacy beliefs in undergraduate medical students. Methods. A cross-sectional, self-administered survey involving 315 Brazilian medical students was conducted online. The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), and the general self-efficacy (GSE) scale were used. The internal consistency of the instruments used in the study was analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha. Multiple logistic regression models were applied, and the odds ratios (OR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to determine the association between parental bonding styles and anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and general self-efficacy beliefs. Results. In the analysis adjusted for sociodemographic variables, maternal affectionless control was associated with a greater risk of anxiety ( OR = 2.48 ; 95% CI: 1.15-5.33), depression ( OR = 7.54 ; 95% CI: 3.20-17.78), suicidal ideation ( OR = 3.62 ; 95% CI: 1.58-8.27), and low self-efficacy ( OR = 3.81 ; 95% CI: 1.76-8.25), while maternal neglectful parenting was associated with depression ( OR = 3.24 ; 95% CI: 1.17-8.96) and paternal affectionate constraint with suicidal ideation ( OR = 3.09 ; 95% CI: 1.36-7.02). Conclusions. These findings showed dysfunctional parenting styles to be associated with mental illnesses and low self-efficacy in Brazilian undergraduate medical students. This should be taken into consideration when treating medical students with mental disorders.