Page 64 - JCBP-2-3

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Assessment of depressive symptoms among

medical students and doctors using PHQ-9

1
Kamile Pociute 1,2 and Sigita Lesinskiene *
1 Clinic of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius,
Lithuania
2 Mental Health Centre, Karoliniškės Polyclinic, Vilnius, Lithuania

Abstract

Medical students and doctors are at increased risk of experiencing depression.
Doctors exhibit varying severity of depression symptoms at different stages of their
careers. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among
medical students and doctors using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We
conducted a cross-sectional study in Lithuania from February to March 2024, using
an anonymous online questionnaire that collected demographic data and included
the PHQ-9. A score of ≥10 indicated criteria for depression. The questionnaire was
completed by 146 respondents, comprising 77 medical students and 69 doctors
or resident doctors. Overall, 40% of respondents met the criteria for depression,
including 48% of medical students and 32% of doctors. Medical students had a higher
mean PHQ-9 score compared to doctors, and the difference in PHQ-9 scores between
students and doctors was significant (P = 0.045). No significant differences were
found in PHQ-9 scores between genders (P = 0.430) or among respondents living in
different city sizes (P = 0.780). Our data align with the literature findings that medical
*Corresponding author: students exhibit higher depression scores than doctors. The study underscores the
Sigita Lesinskiene
(sigita.lesinskiene@mf.vu.lt) importance of regularly monitoring the emotional well-being of medical students
and doctors and implementing interventions to improve their emotional health.
Citation: Pociute K, Lesinskiene S.
Assessment of depressive
symptoms among medical students Keywords: Medical students; Doctors; Residents; PHQ-9; Depression; Prevalence
and doctors using PHQ-9. J Clin
Basic Psychosom. 2024;2(3):3570.
doi: 10.36922/jcbp.3570
Received: May 3, 2024 1. Introduction
Accepted: June 6, 2024
The World Health Organization reports a global prevalence of depression among adults at
Published Online: July 5, 2024 5%, with women being 50% more likely to experience depression than men. Depression
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Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). and anxiety contribute significantly to lost work time, costing the world economy
This is an Open-Access article about US$1 trillion annually, a figure projected to rise to US$16 trillion by 2030.
2
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Studies indicate that the prevalence of depression among medical students, residents,
License, permitting distribution, and doctors is higher than in the general population. During medical studies, the
3-5
and reproduction in any medium, prevalence of depression increases, with reported symptoms varying widely from 1.4%
provided the original work is
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properly cited. to 73.5% among students. Medical students experience numerous challenges, including
intense academic rigor, financial difficulties, lack of sleep, lack of control, constant
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with exposure to sickness and death, inappropriate behavior during studies, and/or other
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regard to jurisdictional claims in challenges. Research revealed that doctors generally have better mental health ratings
published maps and institutional than medical students. For example, a study involving 1417 medical students, residents,
affiliations.
Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.3570