Prevalence and Correlates of Depressive Symptoms among Medical Students: a Cross-sectional Single-centre Study

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms are common among medical students. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of depressive symptoms among medical students in Sultan Qaboos University in Oman.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample selected from 1041 medical students at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to screen for depressive symptoms. A logistic regression model was used to determine risk factors for depressive symptoms.

RESULTS: Of 197 medical students selected, 189 (61 men and 128 women) responded. The PHQ-9 results showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 41.3%. In multivariate analysis, female students were more likely than male students to develop depression (adjusted odds ratio = 2.866, p = 0.004). Medical students with a family history of depression were more likely to develop depression than those without a family history of depression (adjusted odds ratio = 4.150, p = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms are common among medical students in Sultan Qaboos University. Risk factors for depressive symptoms are female sex and family history of depression.