Abstract

Background: There is evidence showing that medical students are susceptible to depression, as exemplified by a systematic review revealing that 27.2% of students report symptoms of the illness. However, scarce research has examined depression among medical students studying in Saudi Arabia's Qassim region. This study sets out to evaluate the extent of depression among medical students attending Qassim University and to identify the main associated risk factors.
Methods: This study employs a cross-sectional methodology via a self-completed questionnaire. The participants were 409 males (54.8%) and 338 females (45.2%) attending Qassim University, specifically the Al-Mulida and Unaizah Colleges of Medicine.
Results: The study revealed a high prevalence of depression, with more than half of the participants (55.4%) reporting symptoms of the illness. Among them, 22.4%, 19.3%, and 13.8% respectively reported mild, moderate, and severe symptoms. Depression was also found to correlate significantly with the female gender, as over half of the participants reporting severe depression were female. Being in the preclinical phase of study was also significantly associated with depression, as were experiencing personal issues and previous attendance at other medical colleges.
Conclusion: The study revealed a high rate of depression among surveyed medical students, especially females, those in the preclinical phase, and those who had previously studied at other medical colleges or were experiencing personal issues. In line with this, it is recommended that screening for depression be implemented among medical students, and that high-quality academic counseling centers be set up with trained staff who can help students tackle their personal issues.

Key words: Depression, medical students, mental wellbeing, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.