A study on mental distress among the undergraduate students of medical college, Kolkata

ABSTRACT

Background: Medical students are reported to have high levels of mental distress that includes problems such as anxiety, depression, and stress due to the highly competitive curriculum. In the post-pandemic era with a renewed perspective toward health system and popularization of online classes, current batch of students are exposed to diverse sources of mental distress. Aims and Objectives: Objectives of this study were to find out the socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics, family background and academic profile of the study participants, and to estimate the proportion of different varieties of mental distress among them, and to examine relationship of mental distress with sociodemographic, behavioral and academic profile. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed on 649 undergraduate students by census method using depression anxiety stress scale-21 items. Results: The study participants are predominantly Hindu, urban, unmarried, hostelites, males from nuclear families and belonging to upper socioeconomic class according to Modified B.G Prasad Socioeconomic Status Scale (January 2022). The proportion of depression, anxiety, and stress among study participants was found to be 49.61%, 58.86%, and 33.13%, respectively. Proportion of mental distress was significantly higher in the age group of 21–24 years. Those who preferred to study more at night were more anxious and stressed. Stress was higher in students with addiction to gadgets too. Participants hailing from rural areas, hostelites, and paying guests were relatively more depressed. Conclusion: There is urgent need for emotional support and provision of personalized counseling for the MBBS students as unchecked mental distress can turn into severe psychological morbidity.