Background:
Medical study is demanding. Medical students are known to suffer above-average rates of depression, anxiety, stress, poor sleep, and life dissatisfaction. In turn, these disorders lower the students’ quality of life and negatively impact their performance.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study assessed medical students at the two medical schools teaching in the Gaza Strip. Students were randomized according to university, sex, and academic level. Screening employed the DASS21, PSQI, and SWLS instruments. Categorical variables were described by count and percentages. Potential predictors of poor sleep quality were assessed by binary logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression was implemented to determine the effect of covariates. Ordinal logistic regression was used to investigate predictors of anxiety, stress, depression, and SWLS stage. Statistical significance was set at a two-sided p-value less than 0.05.
Results:
In total, 362 medical students participated. Different stages of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were prevalent in 69%, 77.3%, and 65.2% of students, respectively. Poor sleep quality was prevalent in 77.9% of students, which was associated with higher rates of all-stage anxiety, stress, and depression in univariate regression and with higher odds of moderate anxiety and mild, moderate, and extremely severe depression after multivariable regression. Furthermore, 46.1% of medical students were dissatisfied with their lives.
Conclusions:
Medical students in the Gaza Strip suffer from high rates of depression and anxiety symptoms, stress, poor sleep, and life dissatisfaction compared to medical students from several other countries and the pooled global prevalence reported in meta-analysis studies.
