Objective: To find the prevalence of psychological burden and its association with PCOS symptoms among medical students.
Methodology: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2021. A total of 291 students were included using a random sampling technique. Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) was used for the psychological assessment of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Results: Mean age was 21.4±1.7 years. The prevalence of PCOS students was 12.3% (n=27). Hirsutism was found in majority of the students but had an insignificant association with BMI (p >0.05). On analysis of multiple psychological parameters, depression was significantly associated with menstrual irregularity (p =0.001*) only while stress was found to be associated with menstrual irregularity (p =0.009*), hirsutism (p =0.001*) and prolonged menstruation (p =0.024*).
Conclusion: Majority of the students were symptomatic for PCOS despite being underdiagnosed. Psychological parameters can be improved by coordination strategies between gynecology and psychiatry departments. Further research are warranted to mitigate these symptoms and improve the mental health of students facing academic as well as menstrual irregularities related stress.
Key words: PCOS, hirsutism, depression, stress, anxiety, menstrual irregularity, medical students, DASS-21.
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