Medical Students' Mental Health: A Closer Look at Anxiety, Depression, and Faith

Medical students face a tough road, juggling heavy course loads and high expectations. A recent study shed light on the mental health challenges they encounter, focusing on anxiety, depression, and the role of religious beliefs. The study involved 260 medical students from the University of Osijek in Croatia. It found that more than half of the students experienced some level of anxiety or depression. Specifically, 54. 2% showed signs of depression, with 9. 2% facing severe symptoms. Anxiety was even more common, affecting 58. 1% of students, with 25% experiencing moderate to severe anxiety. Alarmingly, 12. 8% of students reported having thoughts of self-harm or suicide in the past two weeks. Female students tended to report higher levels of depression and anxiety than male students. However, when the data was adjusted for multiple comparisons, these differences were not statistically significant. This suggests that while gender might play a role, other factors could be at play as well.The study also looked at how religious beliefs might influence mental health. Students with moderate to high levels of religiosity were more likely to report moderate to severe depression. However, after adjusting the data, religiosity did not show a clear connection to anxiety or depression levels. This leaves open the question of how faith impacts mental health in this group. The findings highlight the urgent need for mental health support among medical students. Early identification of at-risk students and preventive programs could make a big difference. As future healthcare professionals, their well-being is crucial not only for their personal success but also for the quality of care they will provide to patients.