Abstract

Background: Medical students are future of health care but depression in them may lead to less productivity, reduced quality of life, learning difficulties, and may negatively affect patient care.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depression among first-, second-, and third-year medical students and factors associated with it in Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among first-, second-, and third-year male and female students at the Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A systematic random sampling technique with proportional allocation was adopted to select students from both genders. Screening of medical students for depression was conducted using the Arabic version of Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire. Another questionnaire was used including all necessary variables that could be associated with depression among medical students.

Results: The study included 136 medical students aged between 19 and 24 years (mean age 20.9 ± 1.1 years). Slightly more than half of them (53.7%) were women. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms among medical students was 30.9%: mild among 18.4%, moderate among 9.6%, and severe among 2.9%. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher among women than men (34.2% versus 27%). However, this difference was not statistically significant. Logistic regression analysis showed that medical students of the third academic level were 70% less likely to have depression compared to those of first academic level. Those who reported a history of loss of first-grade relative were at almost threefold risk of developing depression opposed to those who had no such history in the last year. Those who had moderate and high performance in examination were 70% and 84%, respectively, less likely to develop depression compared to those who had low performance. Those who had a history of depression or current depression were at almost threefold risk of developing depression than those who had no such history.

Conclusion: Depression is a significant hidden problem among medical students of Saudi Arabia. Almost one-third of medical students enrolled in the first three academic years of Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah had symptoms suggestive of depression.

Key words: Depression, medical, students, Beck’s depression inventory, Saudi Arabia