Anxiety, Depression and Academic Performance: A Study Amongst Portuguese Medical Students Versus Non-Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in Portuguese medical students compared to students of other faculties, and the possible impact those symptoms have on academic performance.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 750 students: 512 medical students and 238 nonmedical students. All students anonymously completed a socio-demographic survey and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, Spearman correlation coefficient or Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: We found a prevalence of 21.5% (n = 161) for anxiety symptoms and 3.7% (n = 28) for depressive symptoms. Being a medical student was more significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety (p = 0.034) compared with other students. Depressive symptoms were slightly associated with poor academic performance (p < 0.01). A percentage of 59.6% (n = 96) of students with anxiety symptoms and 46.4% (n = 13) of students with depressive symptoms did not seek medical or psychological care at that time.Discussion: Medical students in this sample seem to have more symptoms of anxiety, possibly explained by a higher number of female students in that sample. Depressive symptoms could be associated with poor academic performance in both groups, but an evident correlation was not established.Conclusion: Considering the high levels of anxiety symptoms, the possible impact of depressive symptoms in academic performance and the lack of psychiatric or psychological follow-up reported in this study, it is urgent to develop adequate means of support to improve students’ well-being and mental health.

Predictors associated with studies and lifestyle and subjective feeling of depressive symptoms among Polish medical students

“…Our research found a link between low self-assessment of academic performance and noticing symptoms that might had suggested depression during the course of medical studies. Similar results were obtained by Moreira de Sousa J et al who found a link between occurrence of depressive symptoms and lower curricular average grade among medical students [10]. Analogical link was described by Çelik N et al in a research conducted among 445 Turkish medical students [11].…”

“…Analogical relationship was described by Moreira de Sousa J et al among 521 Portuguese medicine students . [10] Similar link was found in case of repeating a year. Our research found a link between low self-assessment of academic performance and noticing symptoms that might had suggested depression during the course of medical studies.…”

Factors Associated with Psychological Distress in University Students and the Relation to Emotional Intelligent and Spirituality: a Cross-sectional Study

“…It is a handy and reliable tool for identifying anxiety and depression. HADS has been used in the general population, in general hospital patients, in cancer care units, and even in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and in the student population (28). The scale comprises a total of fourteen questions out of which seven concern the development of anxiety disorder and the remaining seven concern depression (29).…”

Prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduate pharmacy students in Nigeria

“…Studies among pharmacy students showed that stress was negatively correlated with quality of life (Marshall, Allison, & Nykamp, 2008;Eisenberg, Golberstein, & Hunt, 2009;Opoku-Acheampong et al, 2017). Depression has also been shown to be negatively associated with academic performance among undergraduate students (Al-qaisy, 2011; Khanam & Bukhari, 2015;Moreira de Sousa, Moreira, & Telles-Correia, 2018). Depression and anxiety were also associated with poor sleep quality and deterioration in the quality of life (Cramer, Torgersen, & Kringlen, 2005;Oh et al, 2019).…”