PREVALENCE AND DETERMINANTS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS AMONG PRE-CLINICAL MEDICAL STUDENTS AT THE LUSAKA APEX MEDICAL UNIVERSITY: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background Globally, mental health problems are the main obstacle to academic success as they can affect students' motivation, focus and social interactions, critical factors for student success. The most Prevalent Mental Disorders among University Students are Depression, Anxiety and Stress. Sources of mental illness include demographic, social, behavioral, and academic factors. Determining the prevalence and determinants of depression, anxiety and stress will encourage the development of informed strategies and policy making to promote mental health and prevent occurrences of mental disorders in higher educational institutions in Zambia Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted with medical students attending a University in Zambia. Participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire consisting of the socio-demographic characteristics of students and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), on which they responded by rating the extent to which they had experienced each symptom over the last week, ranging from 0 (did not apply to me at all) to 3 (applied to me very much, or most of the time). The multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with depression anxiety and stress Results A total of 295 University students participated in the study with a mean age of 23(22-24) IQR. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were 66.10%, 74.86% and 45.35%, respectively. Severe or extremely severe depression, anxiety and stress were noted among 85 (29%), 132 (45%) and 53 (18%) students, respectively. Depression, Anxiety and stress were significantly more frequent among female students (113(71.97%); p=0.023, 121(77.07%); p=0.034 and 85(58.62%); p<0.001, respectively). Being in 4th year was statistically associated high levels of anxiety (154(68.75%); p=0.035) while being single or living at a boarding house were associated with a higher score of stress (117(46.61%); p = 0.041 and 102(48.80%); p=0.034). Conclusions A substantial proportion of the students are suffering from depression, stress and particularly from anxiety. The findings may be useful for informed policy making and establishment of preventive measures and interventions for students to learn how to cope with these conditions positively and to improve the mental health of students with a view to enhancing their educational outcomes.