Gender Differences in the Prevalence of Depression Amongst Medical Students (original) (raw)

Background: Depression is known to be prevalent among medical students particularly in the initial academic years. It is known to adversely affect their physical and mental well being along with academic performance. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression amongst medical students and to observe gender differences in the prevalence rates of depression. Material And Methods: 100 students which comprised students from 3rd, 4th and 5th year were consecutively selected and were asked to complete Beck Depression Inventory. Results: The mean age was 21.40 ± S.D 1.46 years. There was an equal gender distribution. Amongst the male students, 30% had minimal depression, 12% mild depression, 16% moderate depression and 42% severe depression; whereas amongst female students, 38% had minimal depression, 36% mild depression, 8% moderate depression and 18% severe depression. However the difference in prevalence of depression in both genders was not stat...