PREVALENCE OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS AMONG FINAL-YEAR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN MEDICAL PROFESSION AT GOMAL UNIVERSITY DERA ISMAIL KHAN

Abstract

The present study explores the anxiety, depression and stress levels in final-year medical students of Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan to have an understanding of the mental health issues affecting this category of students. The research design was a cross-sectional survey, whereby 272 students were used to gather data using Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The extent of psychological distress prevalence was evaluated with the help of descriptive statistics; the chi-square test was applied to investigate the relationship between mental health outcomes and demographic factors, including age, gender, and department. The results show that the most prevalent psychological problem was anxiety, which was reported by 39.0% of the students with moderate anxiety and 15.1% with severe anxiety. Thirty-one percent of the students reported depression, and most of them had mild symptoms. Stress was least recorded 82.7% students were recorded to be not stressed at all. The demographic variables did not have any significant relationships with the prevalence of anxiety, depression, or stress, indicating that the problems that medical students encounter are common among various groups of individuals. The findings can also indicate the need to use actionable mental health programs to address mental health issues among students in universities. This study reaffirms the significance of meeting the mental health requirements of medical students, specifically those in their fifth year, which are the most stressful because of the academic demands, clinical duties, and career-related challenges. The results a great source of information in establishing mental health programs/support systems that would effectively counter the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression to enhance the well-being of future medical practitioners.