General aspects regarding students’ anxiety

Abstract

Introduction. Anxiety, as defined by the World Health Organization, is a disorder characterized by excessive fear and worry, manifesting through disturbances in mood, cognition, behavior, and physiological activity. Anxiety, a global concern, impacts medical students uniquely due to the demands of their academic and professional journey. With a global prevalence of 33,8% among medical students in February 2019, anxiety remains an underexplored topic compared to depression in current literature. The curriculum exposes students to diverse stressors, starting from admission to the university, including the intense study workload, personal expectations, professors' pursuit of excellence, limited leisure time and various other stress-inducing factors. So, anxiety in medical students can impact overall well-being, affecting academic performance, interpersonal relationships, and long-term mental health outcomes. Aim of study. The aim of this research was to study anxiety among medical students. Methods and materials. A total of 319 medical students participated in the study (159- second-year students and 160- sixth-year students), including 216 females and 103 males. Students anonymously completed the DASS-21 questionnaire during the months of October-November 2023. The DASS-21 comprises 21 items and assesses three parameters: depression, anxiety, and stress. Results. According to the statistical analysis, we identified that out of the total number of second-year students (159), 52.85% (84 students) did not exhibit anxiety, while 47.15% (76 students) showed varying degrees of anxiety: low level - 20.12% (32 students); moderate level - 19.49% (31 students); severe level - 7.54% (12 students). In the sixth year, out of the total number of respondents (160 students), 68.76% (110 students) had no anxiety, but in 31.24% (50 students), different degrees of anxiety were detected: low level - 10.62% (17 students); moderate level - 18.75% (30 students); severe level - 1.85% (3 students). Comparing the results obtained by female subjects with those of male subjects, we observed statistically significant differences: out of 216 surveyed females, 48.61% (105 females) had anxiety, while 51.39% (111 females) did not. Of the 103 males, 19.41% (20 males) had anxiety, while 80.59% (83 males) did not have anxiety. Conclusion. Following the statistical analysis, it was observed that anxiety levels are higher among second-year students compared to their sixth-year counterparts. Upon comparing gender differences, it is noted that females exhibit higher levels of anxiety than males.