Anxiety and Depression Symptoms and Associated Factors Among Medical-Surgical Specialty Students at a University: A Descriptive Study

Introduction: Medical residents commonly experience depressive and anxiety symptoms at higher rates compared to the general population. These symptoms have been associated with various sociodemographic risk factors as well as academic and healthcare demands. Objective:To determine the frequency of depressive or anxiety symptoms and associated factors among medical-surgical specialty students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021, involving residents in medical-surgical specialties at a university in Medellin. Participants provided informed consent to participate. Three instruments were used: a sociodemographic and clinical survey, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to explore associations, and prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Multivariate analysis using binomial regression was also performed. Results: The study included 80 residents, of whom 57.5% were female. The median age was 28 (27-30 years). 17.5% had a personal history of mental illness, and 33.8% had a family history of mental illness. 72.5% consumed alcohol. 40% had depressive symptoms, and 11.3% had both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Factors associated with depressive symptoms were mistreatment, long working hours, and sleep disturbances. In the multivariate analysis, only sleep disturbance remained significantly associated (PR 8.7; 95% CI 1.2-63.2; p = 0.03). The variable associated with anxiety symptoms was mistreatment (PR 4.2; 95% CI 1.2-15.7; p = 0.02). Conclusion: A higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, contrary to expectations, was found compared to anxiety symptoms. The variables associated with depressive or anxiety symptoms were consistent with previous reports.