A Study to assess the prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Interns across the State of Maharashtra, India

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence andseverity of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Interns in Medical Colleges and associated hospitalsacross Maharashtra and to identify the associated factors responsible for the same. The secondary objectivewas to correlate the prevalence of this psychological morbidity with their life style and the probablestressors experienced by them in the course of internship.Methods: This study is an Observational, Cross-Sectional, Questionnaire Based Study which wasconducted online with a sample of 362 interns. The data obtained was entered using Microsoft Excel 2013and analyzed using SPSS 16.0 Software. The Pearson chi square correlation test was used to find out theassociation of various personal and life-style related factors with the levels of depression, anxiety and stressamongst the respondents.Results: Amongst the total respondents, the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was found to be59.70%, 63.03% and 38.79% respectively. Many factors specific to the course of internship were found tohave a statistically significant correlation with high prevalence and severity of mental disturbances in theinternsConclusion: There is a very high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among interns working inMaharashtra which needs to be effectively dealt with on an urgent basis. The strong association of theprevalence of psychological illnesses with many factors and stressors faced by them will help us highlightthe contributory factors and suggest strategies to deal with them effectively at a personal, institutional andnational level.